Pakistan Announce 15 Member Squad For Champions Trophy 2025

Pakistan selectors on Friday sprung a shock by together with only one specialist spinner and selecting 9 batsmen of their 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy starting subsequent month. Abrar Ahmed, 26, the one specialist spinner within the squad captained by Mohammad Rizwan, has performed 4 ODIs taking 10 wickets with a better of 4/33.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) mentioned that it will probably make adjustments to the squad till February 11 as per the Worldwide Cricket Council’s (ICC) guidelines. The selectors have recalled all-rounders Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf and opener Fakhar Zaman, whose inclusion was on the playing cards after Saim Ayub sustained an ankle harm.

Fakhar final performed for Pakistan in the course of the 2023 World Cup in India, whereas Khushdil’s final look was in Rotterdam in 2022. Faheem’s final look was within the 50-over Asia Cup in early 2023. The selectors dropped left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, batsman Irfan Khan Niazi and opener Abdullah Shafique from the aspect that just lately performed in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Nationwide Selector Asad Shafiq mentioned the PCB had caught to its horses-for-courses coverage whereas selecting the squad. “Our focus has been on deciding on gamers who’ve constantly excelled in home competitions beneath related circumstances, demonstrating their readiness to carry out in a worldwide occasion,” mentioned Shafiq.

He mentioned that both batting stalwart Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel will open the innings with Fakhar within the occasion, scheduled to start on the Nationwide Stadium in Karachi on February 19. The 4 pacers within the squad are Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

The squad can even play a Tri-series with South Africa and New Zealand in Karachi and Lahore from February 8-14.

Pakistan squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Saud Shakeel, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Muhammad Hasnain and Abrar Ahmed.