Pakistan’s Champions Trophy campaign is off to a rocky start—an opening defeat, a major injury setback, and swirling allegations of favoritism in team selection. But legendary pacer Wasim Akram isn’t staying silent, shutting down the controversy with a bold response.
Following Pakistan’s crushing 60-run loss to New Zealand at the National Bank Stadium, Akram defended the squad, dismissing claims of biased selections. Speaking alongside Cheteshwar Pujara and Nikhil Chopra, he made it clear that only the best players were chosen.
“If you want me to be brutally honest, I can be. In our culture, we say, ‘These are our kids, don’t criticize them.’ But I believe these are our best players. If someone better was available, they would have been selected. People talk about ‘parchi’ (favoritism), but at this level, that doesn’t work,” Akram stated.
As if the pressure wasn’t enough, Pakistan suffered another major blow—opener Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. Fakhar sustained the injury while fielding in the opening over against New Zealand, forcing him to leave the field.
The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 Event Technical Committee has approved Imam-ul-Haq as Fakhar’s replacement. Imam, who was already part of the Pakistan Shaheens, recently impressed with a 98-run knock in a warm-up match against South Africa.
Pakistan’s title defense is already on thin ice. Chasing 321, they crumbled to 260 all out despite fighting knocks from Khushdil Shah (69 off 49) and Babar Azam (64 off 90). New Zealand’s Will Young and Tom Latham smashed centuries, while Glenn Phillips’ explosive 61 off 39 powered their total beyond Pakistan’s reach.
Now, all eyes are on Pakistan’s high-stakes showdown against arch-rivals India—a must-win clash to keep their Champions Trophy hopes alive.
Pakistan’s Updated Champions Trophy Squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (c), 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.