Australia legend Ricky Ponting revealed the key reason behind the Pakistan team’s failure to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals.
The hosts and defending champions, Pakistan, were eliminated after losing their first two matches against New Zealand and India, respectively.
Pakistan suffered a 60-run defeat against New Zealand in the opening game of the eight-nation tournament.
After their defeat against the Black Caps, Pakistan lost against arch-rivals India, courtesy of a master class from Virat Kohli, who smashed an unbeaten century, chasing a modest total of 241 runs in Dubai.
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Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting questioned whether Pakistan was maximizing the potential of their key players, particularly Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
“They haven’t been able to give their best back to their team. Those two guys had to stand up, they had to make big runs.”
“And they haven’t been able to do it in the first couple of games, and that might be the reason why Pakistan don’t make it through to the semi-finals,” Ponting said.
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have struggled to score runs in the marquee event. Azam scored a scratchy 64 off 90 balls against New Zealand, while Rizwan faced criticism for scoring 46 off 77 deliveries against arch-rival India.
Ricky Ponting also praised the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli’s ability to step up in crucial games.
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“I’ve always said big games equal big names. You need your big names to stand up in those big moments, and no bigger game for India than a game against Pakistan,” he said.
“Your reputation is forged in what you do in the biggest contests on the international stage. So it’s no surprise to me that that has happened,” he concluded.
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