Image: With PCB planning an overhaul, the future of Afridi and Azam becomes uncertain / © Pakistan Today
In the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan’s much-awaited return as hosts after nearly three decades ended in disaster. Playing at home for the first time since the 1996 ODI World Cup, Pakistan suffered an embarrassing early exit. They lost back-to-back matches against New Zealand and India, and their final group match against Bangladesh was washed out. This made them the first host nation in Champions Trophy history to finish last in the group stage without a single win, earning just one point with a poor Net Run Rate of -1.087.
Following this failure, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a full review of the team’s performance. Reports suggest that key players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah could be dropped as part of major changes. Internal rifts also surfaced, with captain Mohammad Rizwan reportedly clashing with head coach Aaqib Javed over team selection. Rizwan wanted Khushdil Shah in the squad, but Javed picked Faheem Ashraf without consulting him.
With growing fan outrage and criticism from former cricketers, Pakistan cricket is heading toward a major overhaul. The team’s poor coordination and internal conflicts have raised serious concerns about their future ahead of the next major ICC event.