Being the host of a prestigious tournament comes with an added pressure. As a host team, you are expected to go the distance, or at least, make it to the later stages of the competition. Pakistan, who are hosting the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, have failed to do that. They have lost both their opening games against New Zealand and India. Even after defeat against India, there were some possibilities that the Pakistan team could still make it to the semifinal, but those hopes ended after Bangladesh lost to New Zealand. Since cricket in sub-continent is held with high regards, it came as no surprise that calls for dramatic changes in Pakistan cricket has resurfaced yet again.
Also Read: Teams with the most ODI wins
Sikander Bakht – ” Mohammed Rizwan should resign”
Former Pakistan cricketer Sikander Bakht, who represented his country in 26 tests and 27 ODIs, expressed his thoughts during a show on Geo News regarding the performance of Pakistan team under current captain Mohammed Rizwan.
“Firstly, Mohammad Rizwan should resign as the captain. Whenever he speaks, I am not able to understand what he says. A person who cannot speak or express himself, what sort of a captain would he be? We have seen his captaincy on the field. He is a bad choice to be the captain. I said the same about Babar Azam as well,” Bakht told Geo News.
Bakht even went on to say that cricketers should be held responsible for their performance on the field and made an analogy with the corporate sector, where an individual has to meet targets in order to survive.
“We have to make changes. End their central contracts. Don’t give them central contracts till the team starts performing. There should be some performance. In corporate setup, you are given a task. If you don’t do it, you are asked to pack up and leave,” he said.
Pakistan will play their final game of the CT 2025 on Thursday against Bangladesh. This will be their final game of the competition. This is a dead-rubber game as the result of this game won’t have any impact on the standings of teams in Group A. India and New Zealand are already through to the semis from this group. The only thing that matters is which of the two teams from India and New Zealand will top the group. This will be decided on March 2 when India take on New Zealand in Dubai.
Follow Us on Instagram and X(Twitter) for regular updates.
