"Pakistan's Squad Picked by AI?": Hafeez Drops Bombshell Amid CT25 Exit Fears

Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 journey has rapidly become a nightmare. They lost to both New Zealand and India and now stand on the brink of elimination with their hopes of going further no longer under their control. Now, they can only wait and see what the other teams in Group A do to decide their fate in the tournament. In the middle of all this, Mohammad Hafeez has created a stir with a rather surprising and quite bold comment on the team selection for the current tournament, which has left everyone stunned by his boldness.

Mohammad Hafeez, the former Director of the Pakistan National Cricket Team, has made a shocking claim about the team selection for the Champions Trophy. He alleged that the national selectors used artificial intelligence (AI) to pick the squad. The former captain also questioned the selection process, saying it made no sense to him.

Speaking on a local TV show, Hafeez said, "This selection is done with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). They say that they have a statistician; they know how to make teams. We know everything. They pick the players with AI. First, go and search your name on AI.”

Kohli’s Masterclass Seals the Win

Mohammad Hafeez didn’t hold back in his criticism, saying that choosing Imam-ul-Haq’s opening partner felt more like a random toss than a well-planned decision. After Fakhar Zaman was ruled out due to injury, Pakistan brought back Imam, but Babar Azam remained as the opener a move Hafeez strongly disagreed with. He believed the team made a mistake in not selecting the right partner for Imam. According to him, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Salman Ali Agha should have batted at positions 3 to 5. Expressing his frustration, Hafeez said, “It is a toss [for Imam’s partner]. My mind cannot reach the levels where the team selection is done. I thought about it a lot, but they will have to do a toss for picking Imam's partner.”

India completely outplayed Pakistan on February 23 in Dubai, securing a dominant six-wicket win and all but booking their spot in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinals. Pakistan struggled with the bat, getting bowled out for 241, with Saud Shakeel (62 off 76) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan (46 off 77) putting up some fight. India’s bowlers, especially Kuldeep Yadav (3/40) and Hardik Pandya (2/31), kept them in check. Chasing the target, India made it look easy, wrapping up the game in 42.3 overs. Virat Kohli led the charge with a brilliant unbeaten 100 off 111 balls, while Shubman Gill (46) and Shreyas Iyer (56) played solid supporting roles to seal a comfortable win.

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