Former pacer Wasim Akram backed the Pakistan team’s Champions Trophy squad after losing against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opening match at National Bank Stadium Karachi on Wednesday.
Speaking on a TV show, Wasim highlighted that the current squad includes the best available players and downplayed claims of selection based on personal references.
“If you want me to be brutally honest, I can be. In our culture, we say, these are our kids, don’t criticize them.”
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“But I believe these are our best players. If there was someone better, they would have been selected. People talk about ‘parchi’ (selection based on favoritism), but at this level, parchi doesn’t work,” Akram explained.
During the match, the Green Shirts suffered a significant blow as top-order batter Fakhar Zaman sustained an injury in the first over of New Zealand’s innings. He fell awkwardly while fielding, forcing him to leave the ground for medical assessment.
Though he attempted to return to the field after some time, he eventually walked off again, raising serious concerns about his fitness.
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Despite the discomfort, Fakhar still came out to bat in Pakistan’s chase of 321 runs. However, he looked far from his usual fluent self, managing a scratchy 24 before getting dismissed.
Earlier today, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Fakhar Zaman could no longer participate in the Champions Trophy and named Imam-ul-Haq as his replacement.
For the unversed, the defending champions and hosts Pakistan began their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a 60-run loss against New Zealand yesterday.
Green Shirts were bowled out on 260 in 47.2 overs after New Zealand’s clinical bowling performance. Khushdil Shah scored the most with his 69 off 49 balls.
Pakistan squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
READ: Imam-ul-Haq replaces Fakhar Zaman in Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 squad