Here is the plan: it decreases its expectations so that when everything goes wrong, it snuggles and shout only for one day or two, not all week.
The intention is clear. This is not one of those Hum Hain Pakistani Hum Tou Jeetenge Type of pieces, because we have done it a lot in these same pages. Everything that gives you in the end is trauma and ridicule at the hands of that friend, that colleague who does not care at all the Crick but that cares a lot to rub it the next morning.
So that route is a non-go. But if you are still a fan of chest blows, tune the many Lumber One news channels and you will get your solution prior to the tournament of why we are going to win this time.
However, what we will do here is to prepare it for the worst, so in the most likely possibility of hitting it at the end of February or early March, it snuggles and shout only for one day or two, not all week.
So, nothing is going here:
Aqib javed is not a plan a
The teams in all sports plans for the main competitions in advance, especially if they are the defense champions and that also in their homeland. Printed circuit card? [Insert: ‘We don’t do that’ meme here].
The distinctive seal of the preparations for Pakistan’s large tournaments since the time immemorial has been the last minute chaos: abandonment plans A, B and C in favor of a completely not proven and not proven plan, which is exactly where it is exactly where It is removed.
Since Mickey Arthur started from these coasts in the summer of 2019, Pakistan has seen nine different men to call the chief coach of the national team in several formats in several points. That is equivalent to a rate of more than 1.5 coaches a year, something that Roman Roman Abramovich would be proud.
When Gary Kirsten was hired last year as a chief coach only one month before the disastrous T20 World Cup campaign, hope was also the only one to call Champions Trophy. However, they come to Champions Trophy 2025, the South African is not seen anywhere, since it resigned in October. There goes Plan A.
The man who trained India for the glory of the World Cup in 2011 has been replaced by Aqib Javed. You can see Aqib Javed as 1992 World Cup champion and twice PSL winner, or you can see him as a coach under which Lahore Qalandars was a laugh and ended recent times, even in the tournament last year.
Even so, fortunately, Kirsten resigned more than three months ago. And unless Aqib Javed has a new chapter to write in training exits prior to the tournament, this is as good as we can expect realistically on the training front.
Babar Azam is no longer Babar Azam
The only constants that Gen Z knows in the Pakistan Cricket is the great anguish of the tournament and Babar Azam is a running machine almost anywhere, at any time. However, in the last two years, King Bobby has begun to seem a bit human. Until the Cup of Asia 2023, it used to average 59.17 in Odi, but since then, its numbers have dropped to 42.27 races per tickets, a deficit of almost 17 races.
He approaches its recent form, and the image becomes even more gloomy. In the recent Tri-Series series against New Zealand and South Africa, Babar failed to deliver and handled a high score of 29 in three outings. That leaves it with an average of 2025 of 20.66.
To worsen things, for some reason, the team’s group of experts decided , Babar’s average of Odi as a starter in five games is found in just 17.6.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan defended the movement recently, saying that the gap that was opened at the top due to Saim Ayub’s injury had to be filled by someone, and who is better than possibly the most technically solid mass of the country? Such is Babar’s trade that can end up justifying the movement, but as things, logic and numbers are not indicated that it is worth taking.
To you, babar. It shows that we are wrong.
Fix what breaks to break others
Regarding the batting, there is something that would derail your trust a little more.
The mass for which Babar has been diverted is Saud Shakeel, whom we all know is very talented and productive, but simply not in the white ball format.
In his 17 -game hate career, Karachi’s left -hander has three fifty, two of which came to lose causes against England and South Africa, and the third was against the Netherlands not so crazy.
It promises 26.15 with the bat and has a total of 340 races in the format, a majority of which were scored from the fifth and sixth positions. But now, he occupies the best place of Babar. And the first signs suggest that the transition will be difficult: Shakil got two games in the one-down tri-nation series and returned scores of only 8 and 15.
And the man brought to fill the void left by the promotion of Shakil is Tayyab Tahir, another unknown amount, and not only on paper, but internationally, thanks to the six hate he has played.
To summarize, there was a vacuum above for Babar to be taken from his favorite place to play an unknown role; Then Shakil is taken from his position in the average order to play an unknown role in one below; And then, to fill the Shakil size hole in the average order, Tahir is induced, which is not familiar with this level completely.
Genius!
Haris Rauf does not fit or fit enough
When Haris Rouf was injured on February 8 against New Zealand, it could be said that it was the choice of Pakistan bowling players. In his 6.2 overs that he could play before collecting a lateral tension, he had granted only 19 races and picked up the Tom Latham Wickt. That was the game in which Shaheen Afridi ended up admitting 88 races and Naseem Shah 70 in his 10 overs each.
Until Rauf was playing bowling in the 37th, Glenn Phillips had 18 of 25 balls. Once he was out of the field, only then Phillips could turn his Superman mode when he ended with 106 races of 74 balls.
Think about what can be Rauf, but he is an exceptional hate pacemaker and an important part of the three -headed Pakistan’s turn. While it still does not take it out of the Champions Trophy list, time is rapidly exhausting.
That, along with the absence of Saim Ayub, means that Pakistan once again goes to an important ICC tournament less than several first -option players.
Conditions do not play with Pakistan’s strengths
All our lives have told us that Pakistan produces the best rapid bowling players and that rhythm is our fort. On the other hand, the hitters of almost all eras have left much to be desired. Read that with the ongoing famine of Pakistan, and it is clear that the rhythm is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of this team.
However, the releases seen in the recent Tri-series series were completely friendly. Of the eight entries from four games in the tournament, five saw scores exceeding 300.
Our neighbors often prepare surfaces that make them the homemade territory, but that is a trick rarely practiced by the PCB in the white ball cryket. It is not common for Pakistan to organize a CPI event. Now that you have done it, why not use it for our advantage, as others do?
Do we win or do not care?
It is that old question.
History tells us that when Pakistan is excellent on paper, they are poor in the field. And when they are poor on paper … well, that does not happen often. On paper, they are always quite decent. As for the results, they exceed expectations when there is none. Send them to the field, do not look, do not care, do not exaggerate them, that is when you get the best return of your investment.
That said, this Champions Trophy is happening in Pakistan, where there will be local fans, a lot of attention of the media and ocular balloons in our children who have a long history of melting under the center of attention.
That is not a good omen.
However, the Champions Trophy is a small issue in terms of format and matches, which means that Rizwan and Co. will have to play very badly not to leave the group of four teams. Beat Bangladesh, Nick, one of the two games against India and New Zealand, and you are in the business for the Final Four.
From that moment on, you never know what could happen. After all, the team is able to emerge surprises, two clear examples of which are the 2017 Champions Trophy and the remarkable persecution of 350 ODD against South Africa in Karachi, earlier this month.
Image of heading: The Pakistan Cricket players meet on stage during the opening ceremony of the National Stadium renewed in Karachi on February 11, 2025. (Photo of Asif Hassan/ AFP)
