Pakistan's road to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Strengths and Weaknesses

 

    Photo: Pakistan team with ICC Champions Trophy 2017-credit ICC                                      

Overview

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will start on February 19, 2025, in Pakistan. The craze of The ICC Champions Trophy is on the rise as the date approaches. All the teams are making their final preps before the mega event. South Africa and New Zealand participated in a Tri-nation series including the host Pakistan to access the conditions and get the settled final playing 11. Eventually, New Zealand won the Tri-nation series last night after beating Pakistan by 5 wickets. Pakistan team looked quite vulnerable in different departments which they have to address before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In this article, we will discuss the road of the Pakistan team to the ICC Champions Trophy, their squad, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Expectations of the Fans

Pakistan is the host of The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 so they will play in their home conditions, the crowd will come in huge numbers to support their side. So, there are huge expectations from the Pakistan team that they will perform well on their home soil. As a powerhouse in their home conditions Pakistan team fans are expecting them to show their dominance on one soil and win the ICC Champions Trophy once again for their country.

Pakistan Cricket Team Strengths

    Photo: Babar Azam credit-ICC

• Experienced batting Line-up

Pakistan team has the number one ranked ODI batter Babar Azam in their top order, He is one of the best white ball batters in the world right now. He provides stability to the team through his patience and class. They have Mohammad Rizwan who is the captain of the team and a very experienced middle-order batter. He has the habit of scoring big runs in the middle order. Their top order is also boosted by the presence of Fakhar Zaman who is a very dangerous and explosive batsman. If he gets going it's tough for any team to beat Pakistan. Moreover, they have Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, and Khushdil Shah in their batting ranks to support key batters. So, over they have good solid batters and have batting depth also. 

• Formidable fast bowling

Pakistan's fast bowling is always their strength. They have Shaheen Shah Afridi to lead the pace battery which includes Harris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Muhammad Husnain, and Faheem Ashraf. These are all quite experienced in the International circuit. They know how to win games for their sides. Shaheen Shah Afridi is one the best new ball exponent at the moment. Harris Rauf and Muhammad Husnain's raw pace always causes trouble to the batters. Their fast bowling is in good shape as they have recently outclassed Australia and South Africa in their home conditions. So, Lot of expectations from the pace battery once again.

    Photo: Muhammad Aamir, Virat Kohli credit- ICC

• Balanced spin attack

Pakistan have Abrar Ahmed as a surprise package in their spinners he is a mystery spinner. Moreover, they have good spinning allrounders like Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Agha. Although the Spin trio has a lot of things to prove at the mega event they have the ability and class to turn tables around.

• Home Advantage

Pakistan team is playing at home so they have a better idea of the pitches and the weather. Their bowlers are used to these conditions. They know how to exploit these conditions. Moreover, they would have huge fans in the stand to support them. We have already seen that fan support in the stadium provides a good spark to the teams. So, are expecting Pakistan to perform at the top level in their home conditions.

Pakistan Team Weaknesses

• Inconsistent Batting

Pakistan's team is heavily dependent on their experienced batters Babar, Rizwan, and Fakhar. Their other batters are still very new to the International circuit. Though Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, and Kamran Ghulam have played some top knocks in red ball cricket the pressure of big tournaments is always high we have to see how their inexperienced white ball batters handle the pressure of The ICC Champions Trophy. Moreover, Pakistan batsmen are mostly one-dimensional they are lacking power hitters down the order and good finishers. Salman Ali Agha has finished a few games but we have to see how they perform in the big games.

• Fielding concern

Pakistan's fielding and catching is always their problem, they will have to improve fielding and catching if they want to win The ICC Champions Trophy 2025. they should have to improve their fitness levels also to match the modern-day cricket requirements.

• Big Matches pressure handling

If we look at the history Pakistan team mostly crumbles when pressure games arrive mostly in knockout games. They will have to handle pressure better this time. India-Pakistan is always a big game. They should have to live in the moment and take pressure games as normal games to get better results.

Pakistan's strategy to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

• Top order to provide a good start

Pakistan top Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Saud Shakeel need to provide a good aggressive start to the team to set a good total. They will have to use the field restriction properly and bat deep.

    Photo: Fakhar zaman credit-ICC

• Middle-order stability and finishing

 

 Pakistan middle and lower middle-order players like Salman Agha, Khushdil, and Kamran Ghulam need to give support to their captain Muhammad Rizwan to add stability to the middle order. All the players have potential, they did it at different times now they need to perform on the big stage. I think if Pakistan grooming players performed well at the ICC Champions Trophy Pakistan has a decent chance there.

• Smart bowling changes

Muhmmmad Rizwan will have to use his fast bowlers effectively in all stages of the game. The spinners need to perform well in the middle overs and get wickets for their team. Pakistan death bowling has been an issue for quite a while, there experienced bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Harris Rauf need to use their experience of local conditions and reverse swing as a weapon to minimize the power hitting.

What Expert's Prediction about Pakistan Chances?

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will provide Pakistan a great opportunity to exploit their conditions and defend their title on their home soil. As we all know Pakistan is a very dangerous side, they have high-quality whiteball players and their unpredictable nature as a team poses a serious threat to all the teams so they cannot be written off. If they play cricket at their potential and handle the pressure better they will be hard to beat on their home grounds.

So, what do you think about how well the Pakistan team will perform in The ICC Champions Trophy 2025? And who do you think will win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025? Let us know in the comments about your thoughts.

Now we will answer some frequently asked questions.

How many Champions trophies has Pakistan won?

Pakistan won their 1st ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 at Lords after beating their arch-rivals India by 180 runs.

When does the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 start?

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will start from the 19th of February 2025. Pakistan and New Zealand will face each other in the opening match at the National Stadium Karachi.

How many ICC Trophies has Pakistan won?

Pakistan has won 3 ICC trophies including The ICC ODI World Cup 1992, The ICC T20 World Cup 2009, and The ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

How many Teams are participating in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025?

Eight teams are participating in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 including India, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia, England, Afghanistan, South Africa, and the host Pakistan.