As the ICC Champions Trophy returns after an eight-year hiatus, the defending champions from 2017, Pakistan, are set to play in home conditions (mostly). The Men in Green have been placed in Group A alongside Bangladesh, New Zealand, and India. As Pakistan kick-off their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign, here are some things to keep in mind.
things in favour
Form in ODIs in 2024
Pakistan’s form in the 50-over format has been excellent over the past year. They beat both South Africa and Australia away in the ODI series, beating the former by 3-0 and the latter, 2-1. They also won the away ODI series against Zimbabwe 2-1.
Pakistan have a balanced ODI squad with top-class batters and bowlers. Babar Azam tops the ODI ranking for batters, and their pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi is currently ranked second in the ODI rankings for bowlers. Their fast bowling is well-equipped with Afridi and Naseem Shah, who on their day can be a major threat for any batter in the world.
The ongoing tri-series at home against South Africa and New Zealand can also act as a decent preparation for the Champions Trophy for the Men in Green.
Home conditions could give them a great advantage
Since the Champions Trophy is being hosted by Pakistan, their knowledge of the pitches and conditions is definitely a big bonus. Their matches will be played at Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi, except for the one against India, which will be played in Dubai.
Pitches in Pakistan normally produce a lot of runs, and with their batters in decent form, the team will want to leverage the home advantage and win games comprehensively.
Given the country is hosting a marquee ICC event after a long time, the excitement among the local fans will be on another level. The stadiums will see a massive turnout, which could further prove to be a big advantage for the hosts and push them to victories.
Depleted sides turning up
Injuries to important players in opposition camps will also favour Pakistan, though they too will be missing their most in-form top-order batter in Saim Ayub.
Australia, for instance, will miss most of their pace-bowling attack, with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc all ruled out alongside the talismanic all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. South Africa are without Anrich Nortje, while India will miss arguably their most important player in Jasprit Bumrah, with Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav coming back from long injury layoffs. New Zealand, meanwhile, might be without their main pacer, Lockie Ferguson.
Facing depleted oppositions on home surfaces will definitely further boost Pakistan’s morale.
some concerns
Over-dependence on top-order batting
One of Pakistan’s problems could be their over-dependence on the likes of Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan in the batting department.
Most of the time, if one of them does not anchor the innings, the middle order loses its way. Only Salman Agha has provided some stability on a consistent basis. The loss of their most in-form batter in Saim Ayub will be another massive loss for Pakistan; replacing their top run-getter in ODIs last year will hardly be an easy ask.
Lack of experienced and quality spin bowling
Generally, pitches in the Subcontinent favour spin bowling. Therefore, having quality spin bowlers is a must for all teams.
Unfortunately, Pakistan do not possess an experienced spin-bowling attack. Their spin attack will comprise Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, and Salman Agha. Relatively inexperienced, Ahmed will be leading the attack, with Shah and Agha in supporting roles. If their fast bowling doesn’t get the early scalps, Pakistan’s spinning prowess may feel insufficient in the face of world-class batters well equipped to play in spin-friendly conditions.
The inability of their spin bowlers to take wickets in the middle overs may prove to be a problem for an otherwise strong Pakistan side.
Conclusion
Pakistan definitely have the firepower to beat any opposition on their day. Playing in front of a raucous home crowd will only boost their confidence furthermore.
Having said that, the Men in Green aren’t the outright contenders for the Champions Trophy this time round, but if they can get through the group stage against strong oppositions in India and New Zealand, they may very well be able to go all the way and defend their title from 2017.
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