3 key takeaways from Pakistan's squad for Champions Trophy 2025 ft. Absence of Saim AyubÂ
The Pakistan selection committee has named a 15-member squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, slated to be played in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 onwards. The tournament returns after an eight-year hiatus and defending champions Pakistan would hope to put in a strong performance.
Pakistan have named a relatively new-look squad and included a few familiar faces, while a few of them made a return after a while. It's a good blend of youth and experience, though there were surprise exclusions that didn't go down well with a few former Pakistan players.
Ahead of the ICC event, Mohammad Rizwan will lead the squad in a tri-series involving South Africa and New Zealand. The Men in Green will look to replicate their recent performances in this format, as they won three consecutive away series in Zimbabwe, Australia, and South Africa.
Pakistan squad for the Champions Trophy
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
With the tournament slated to start in about a fortnight, let us look at three takeaways from the Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 squad:
# 1. Absence of Saim Ayub and several star players
The biggest talking point is the exclusion of premier opening batter Saim Ayub who has been in a rich vein of form. Ayub fractured his ankle during the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town in January.
He scored two centuries during the ODI series against the Rainbow nation and was set to make a significant mark for Pakistan in the ICC tournament. Earlier, it was expected that Ayub would recover in six months but the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed Saim would take more time to recover.
Abdullah Shafique was excluded from the squad while spinners Shadab Khan and Usama Mir also failed to make it to the 15-member squad.
It was a surprising move as spinners were expected to play a major role in the conditions of Pakistan and UAE. The selection committee will hope that the players selected for CT live up to the expectations.
# 2. Inclusion of fresh faces and return of tested players
Fakhar Zaman has returned to the Pakistan squad after a fallout with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over a social media post in October 2024. The swashbuckling white-ball batter scored a magnificent century against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final.
Meanwhile, all-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah were also included in the squad. They last played international cricket for Pakistan back in 2023. The PCB selection committee awarded them after consistent performances in the domestic circuit.
Players like Kamran Ghulam, Tayyab Tahir, and Usman Khan were also named in the squad, though they have little international experience. With nothing to lose for the new brand of players, they might come up with a fearless attitude which might eventually benefit Pakistan in the ICC tournament.
# 3. Just a solitary spinner in the pace-heavy squad
On surfaces that might help the spinners, it was indeed a bold decision from the Pakistan selection committee to go ahead with just one premier spinner in the form of Abrar Ahmed. The leg spinner has troubled opposition batters with his variations but is highly inexperienced in international cricket.
He has played just four ODIs so far and has been asked to spearhead the spin attack. Salman Ali Agha can offer the part-time option. They have gone with a pace-heavy squad which yielded them three overseas series wins.
Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, and Haris Rauf are part of the pace quartet and are expected to play a pivotal role if Pakistan are to do well in the Champions Trophy.