Pakistan has announced squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy, with Babar Azam expected to take on a new role
On Friday, the PCB announced the squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. PCB selected 15 players in the squad including Fakhar Zaman, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, and Khushdil Shah joined the squad after a long time.
The national selector Asad Shafiq said "The selectors have continued to adopt a horses-for-courses approach in assembling this squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Our focus has been on selecting players who have consistently played in domestic tournaments".
There are four changes to the squad that played the last ODI series against South Africa. They didn't select Abdullah, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim, and Sufyan for the Champions Trophy squad. The same selected squad will play a tri-series match against New Zealand and South Africa. Abrar Ahmed is the top spinner in Pakistan's squad. Khushdil Shah, Agha Salman, and Faheem Ashraf are three all-rounders in the squad.
The selector said " The inclusion of emerging players like mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed and middle-order batters Kamran Ghulam and Tayyab Tahir reflects our confidence in their ability to translate domestic success into international impact. These players have shown the skills to thrive in challenging environments and have a deep understanding of home conditions".
🚨 BABAR AZAM IN NEW ROLE 🚨
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 31, 2025
- Babar Azam is likely to open for Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2025. pic.twitter.com/ghs0lqyjww
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selected a new opening pair with Fakhar Zaman. It might be Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel. Babar is playing well in the recent T20I matches. He scored two half-centuries in two matches in Cape Town against South Africa, and he might be the opener with Fakhar Zaman in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy:
| Player Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Babar Azam | Batter |
| Fakhar Zaman | Batter |
| Kamran Ghulam | Batter |
| Saud Shakeel | Batter |
| Tayyab Tahir | Batter |
| Faheem Ashraf | All-rounder |
| Khushdil Shah | All-rounder |
| Salman Ali Agha | Vice-Captain, All-rounder |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Captain, Wicketkeeper |
| Usman Khan | Batter |
| Abrar Ahmed | Bowler |
| Haris Rauf | Bowler |
| Mohammad Hasnain | Bowler |
| Naseem Shah | Bowler |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Bowler |