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Sarfaraz Ahmed, a 2017 ICC Champions Trophy winning captain, former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, said how the batting of opener Fakhar Zaman and the more “mature” Babar Azam will help the hosts to protect his title starting from February 19. Pakistan will kick the Champions Trophy on February 19 with the tournament opener against New Zealand in Karachi. This time, Pakistan is going with the pair of Fakhar, who is going with the team's Centurion in the 2017 finals with the openers as Arch-Fund India and Babur.
Speaking on the team's creation, Sarfaraz, who last played an ODI for Pakistan in 2021 and said as an international match in 2023, as quoted by ICC, “Pakistan has really good chance to defend that title. And I think they have a strong team.
“He is a separate babur who was played in 2017, a more mature player and a prominent player in the game. His batting will be very important for Pakistan and hence Fakhar Zaman.”
However, Babur is investigating for his form, the last killed in an OD century against Nepal during the Asia Cup in August 2023. It was also his last international centenary and is struggling with its conversion rate in all formats. During the last eight ODIs since 2024, Babur has scored 261 runs in eight innings on an average of 43.50, with two half -centuries and the best score of 73.
On the other hand, Fakhar is in red-hot form since 2023. Since then, he has played 22 Odis, scored an average of 989 runs at 52.05 and a strike rate of around 96, with four centuries and three fifty. If Babur is known for the risks calculated, it is Fakhar that takes the game since the ball.
He also said that Pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are also doing well.
He said, “Captain, Mohammad Rizwan, is also a wicketkeeper-better who did a great job for me in 2017.”
On February 23, staunch rivals in Dubai, intense against India, beyond blockbuster clash, Sarfaraz wants to play male intense but smart cricket in Green against hardcore rivals India on 23 February, when both sides face in Dubai.
“Whenever we meet, this is a special occasion and there is a lot of publicity and pressure around it. But as players, you need to remain calm, try and block that noise, and simply with the same intensity Play like you will play Australia or any other team, “the former batsman said.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 marks the return of the tournament after an interval of eight years and is set to be in Pakistan starting on February 19. As host nation and defending champions, Pakistan will compete against seven best teams in the world to maintain its title.
Eight teams are divided into two groups for the initial phase of the tournament. Each team will play three groups-in which the top two of each group will move forward in the semi-finals.
Group A includes Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia and South Africa.
Pakistan Squad for Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (C), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tahi Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Ahmed, Haris Ahram, Haris Ahram, Haris Ahramad, Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Pakistan fixtures for the Champions Trophy: against New Zealand (in Karachi on 19 February), India (27 February in Rawalpindi) (27 February) in India (27 February).
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