Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign ended in disaster, and Australian legend Ricky Ponting has pinpointed the key reasons behind their shocking early exit—tactical blunders, underutilized players, and failure to deliver in crunch moments.
Despite hosting the tournament and entering as defending champions, Pakistan became the first team eliminated after consecutive defeats—first against New Zealand and then a crushing loss to arch-rivals India on February 23 in Dubai.
Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting questioned Pakistan’s strategy, particularly their failure to maximize the potential of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
“They haven’t been able to give their best to the team. Those two guys had to step up and score big runs,” Ponting said.
“And they haven’t been able to do it in the first couple of games, which might be the reason why Pakistan didn’t make it to the semi-finals,” he added.
The former batting maestro also highlighted Virat Kohli’s ability to thrive under pressure, crediting him for stepping up in the high-stakes clash against Pakistan.
“I’ve always said big games require big players. You need your stars to rise to the occasion, and there’s no bigger game for India than one against Pakistan,” he remarked.
“Your reputation is built on how you perform in the biggest contests on the international stage. So it’s no surprise to me that Kohli stepped up,” he concluded.
Pakistan, alongside Bangladesh, became the first team to crash out of the tournament, which continues until March 9.
The Green Shirts, who won the title in 2017 under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s leadership, started their defense against New Zealand but never found their rhythm.
With Pakistan’s campaign ending in disappointment, the team now faces tough questions about its future. Will they learn from this failure and rebuild for the next global showdown, or will the same mistakes continue to haunt them?