Islamabad, Pakistan, February 13 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, the winning captain of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, spoke on how the batting of openers Fakhar Zaman and a more "mature" Babar Azam will aid the hosts in their title defense starting from February 19 onwards.
Pakistan will begin the Champions Trophy with the tournament's opening match against New Zealand at Karachi on February 19. This time, Pakistan has chosen Fakhar, the team's centurion in the 2017 final against arch-rivals India, and Babar as the opening pair.
Speaking on the team composition, Sarfaraz, who last played an ODI for Pakistan in 2021 and an international match in 2023, stated as quoted by the ICC, "Pakistan has a really good opportunity to defend that title and I think they have a strong team. Some of the players from 2017 are still on the team and we are talking about some of the best - especially Babar Azam."
He's a different Babar from the one who played in 2017, a more mature player and a dominant force in the game. His batting will be of immense importance for Pakistan, and so will Fakhar Zaman's.
However, Babar is under scrutiny for his form, having last hit an ODI century against Nepal during the Asia Cup in August 2023. It was also his last international century and has been struggling with his conversion rate across all formats. In the last eight ODIs since 2024, Babar has scored 261 runs in eight innings with an average of 32.87, including two half-centuries and a best score of 73.
Fakhar has been in exceptional form since 2023. He has played 22 ODIs, accumulating 989 runs with an average of 52.05 and a strike rate of approximately 96, including four centuries and three half-centuries. If Babar is known for calculated risks, it is Fakhar who takes the game to the opposition from the very first ball.
He also mentioned that Pakistan's pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are also doing well.
He mentioned that the captain, Mohammad Rizwan, is also a wicketkeeper-batter, which benefited him in 2017.
Before their highly anticipated showdown against arch-rivals India in Dubai on February 23, Sarfaraz wants the Pakistani team to play intense but strategic cricket against India on February 23, when the two teams face off in Dubai.
It's always a special event when we play, and there's a lot of excitement and tension surrounding it. However, as players, we need to remain calm, tune out the noise, and compete with the same level of intensity that we would against any other team, including Australia.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to resume after an eight-year break and will take place in Pakistan, starting on February 19th. As the host nation and current champions, Pakistan will compete against seven of the top-ranked teams in the world to defend their title.
The eight teams are split into two groups for the initial round of the tournament. Each team will play three matches in this stage, with the top two teams from each group moving on to the semi-finals.
Group A consists of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, whereas Group B comprises Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.
Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), 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.
Pakistan fixtures for Champions Trophy: Against New Zealand (February 19 at Karachi), India (February 23 at Dubai and Bangladesh (February 27 at Rawalpindi).