Pakistan interim head coach, Aqib Javed, has dismissed the notion of making wholesale changes to the national team following their disastrous ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.
Addressing the media in Rawalpindi, Aqib pointed out how fans often look for a singular reason behind defeats but emphasized that losses are a collective team effort.
“A common fan watching the match wants an explanation for why the team lost. But there’s no single reason or just one or two players to blame—the entire team lost,” he said.
Aqib Javed defended the squad, expressing his belief that this was Pakistan’s best available team.
“Shaheen, Haris, and Naseem—everyone knows they are our best pacers and the future of Pakistan,” he stated.
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“As for Babar Azam, tell me, who else is at his level right now? People keep saying to change the team entirely, but look at the experience level—except for Babar, no one in this squad has played 100 matches.
“Yes, they have talent and past performances to back them up, but in recent games, they underperformed. That doesn’t mean they don’t belong in the team.”
Aqib Javed also reminded critics that this same group of players had achieved historic victories in Australia and South Africa.
“This is the same squad that won series in Australia and South Africa, creating history. We’ve already introduced several new players and are trying to build a stronger team,” he said.
“Just because we lost doesn’t mean we should overhaul the squad and bring in an entire U19 team.”
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Despite Pakistan’s struggles in the Champions Trophy, Aqib believes the team is improving overall.
“In my opinion, this team is already getting better and is heading in the right direction. But, unfortunately, we didn’t perform well in the Champions Trophy,” he concluded.
Notably, the defending champions and hosts Pakistan have crashed out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in the group stage after consecutive defeats against New Zealand and India.
The Green Shirts will now face Bangladesh in their final group-stage match on February 27 in Rawalpindi, but the result will have no bearing on their campaign.
READ: Aqib Javed explains Irfan Khan, Sufiyan Muqeem’s exclusion from Champions Trophy squad