Pakistan has included Fakhar Zaman in the team for the Champions Trophy 2025 to be held on its home ground. Selector Asad Shafiq said that Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel can open along with Fakhar. This tournament will start from 19th February.
Only three players from the 2017 championship team are in the team this time, including Fakhar Zaman. He scored a brilliant century against India in the 2017 final. Although, he was out of action since June 2024 due to injury and illness, but after the injury of Saim Ayyub and the exclusion of Abdullah Shafiq, he performed well and got a place in the team.
Saud Shakeel, who last played in the 2023 World Cup, has been recalled to the squad due to his good performances in domestic Test cricket. Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah have also got a chance in the team as they have performed well in domestic cricket recently. Both these players have been included in the team in place of Sufyan Mokeem and Mohammad Irfan Khan.
The team will be captained by Mohammad Rizwan and the team will also play a tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand.
Selector Asad Shafiq said: “We have selected Abrar Ahmed, Kamran Ghulam and Tayyab Tahir in the team on the basis of their good performance in domestic cricket. We are confident that these players will perform well at the international level as well.”
“Abrar Ahmed will lead the spin attack, while Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Aga can also prove to be useful spin bowlers. At the same time, the presence of Faheem Ashraf will also strengthen the fast bowling all-rounder option. The return of Fakhar Zaman will strengthen our batting.” , because his aggressive game is very important for the team.”
Pakistan Squad For Champions Trophy 2025: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
