The Champions Trophy 2025 made its long-awaited return while also bringing an ICC tournament back to Pakistan soil after years. With the event being hosted on home group, many expected the Men in Green to have an easy run. However, they faltered badly in their opening game, suffering a 60-run defeat against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday (February 19).
This loss now looms over Pakistan as they fight to stay alive in the tournament. But are they still in contention for a semi-final spot? And how crucial will the iconic India vs Pakistan clash be? For context, only two teams from each group will advance to the next round.
No, the defending champions have not yet been eliminated, as they still have two matches left to play. However, if they lose to arch-rivals India, their campaign will effectively be over. This makes the game in Dubai against the Men in Blue a must-win for Pakistan. A packed stadium is expected on February 23 when the two teams face off.
The group consists of Pakistan, New Zealand, India, and Bangladesh. The Kiwis currently top the table with 2 points and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +1.200, while Pakistan has the same NRR in negative.
The standings could change after India's match against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan will be hoping for a turnaround, but bouncing back from such a significant loss won't be easy.
Adding to their woes, Pakistan have lost their most in-form player, Fakhar Zaman, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to an oblique injury sustained during the opener against New Zealand. He had to leave the field after just two deliveries while fielding. Imam-ul-Haq has been named as his replacement.
Not just that, they have also been?penalized five percent of their match fee for a slow over rate in the tournament's opening game in Karachi.?On-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Sharfuddoula, along with third umpire Joel Wilson and fourth umpire Alex Wharf, issued the charge, while match referee Andy Pycroft enforced the sanction¡ªa five percent deduction from the match fee.?Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan accepted the offense, eliminating the need for a formal hearing.
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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