Former cricket legend Wasim Akram has come to the defense of Pakistan’s squad selection, dismissing accusations of favoritism following their loss to New Zealand in the opening match of the Champions Trophy at the National Bank Stadium.
Appearing on a TV show alongside Cheteshwar Pujara and Nikhil Chopra, Wasim Akram made it clear that the current squad consists of the best available talent and denied suggestions that selection was based on personal connections or biases.
Wasim’s take on Team
“Let me be honest,” Akram said. “In our culture, people often say, ‘These are our kids, don’t criticize them.’ But I truly believe these are our best players. If someone better was available, they would have been selected. People talk about ‘parchi’ (favoritism in selection), but at this level, that kind of thing doesn’t happen.”
In other news, Pakistan’s Champions Trophy campaign took a hit with opening batsman Fakhar Zaman ruled out due to injury. Fakhar sustained the injury while fielding during the match against New Zealand in Karachi. After falling awkwardly in the opening over, he had to leave the field for medical treatment.
Read more: ICC ODI Rankings: Former Captain Babar Azam Loses Top Spot
To replace Fakhar, Imam-ul-Haq has been added to the squad. The ICC’s Event Technical Committee approved Imam’s inclusion after Fakhar’s injury. Imam, who was already part of the Pakistan Shaheens squad, had recently impressed with a solid 98 runs in a warm-up match against South Africa.
In their first match of the tournament, defending champions Pakistan lost to New Zealand by 60 runs. Chasing a challenging target of 321, Pakistan fell short, being bowled out for 260. Khushdil Shah was the top scorer with 69 off 49 balls, and Babar Azam contributed 64 off 90 balls. For New Zealand, Will Young and Tom Latham both scored centuries, while Glenn Phillips’ explosive 61 off 39 balls boosted their total.
Now, Pakistan faces a critical must-win match against their arch-rivals India, a game that could determine their hopes of defending the title.
Pakistan’s Updated Squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
- Mohammad Rizwan (captain)
- Babar Azam
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Kamran Ghulam
- Saud Shakeel
- Tayyab Tahir
- Faheem Ashraf
- Khushdil Shah
- Salman Ali Agha
- Usman Khan
- Abrar Ahmed
- Haris Rauf
- Mohammad Hasnain
- Naseem Shah
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
Visit Pakistan Updates for more news and updates.
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