Defensive mindset sinks Pakistan in the Champions Trophy | Sports

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After the round matches, the host and defending champion Pakistan took the last position in Group A of the Champions Trophy 2025. The Green Shirts lost their first two matches against New Zealand, Arc Rawal India, while the last game against Bangladesh washout.

The loss against India, marked Pakistan’s sixth straight one -day defeat against India, exposed major flaws in their lineup, which raised serious concerns about the team’s future.

The host and defending champion Pakistan became the first team to end the Champions Trophy from 2025 after suffering the second consecutive loss in the event. It was against the Arc Revolution India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium after losing a CT opener from New Zealand in Karachi.

The loss, marking Pakistan’s sixth straight one -day defeat against India, exposed major flaws in its lineup, which raised serious concerns about the team’s future.

Unlike previous competitions, where Indian bowlers performed extraordinary performances, this time, they just got stuck in the basics. Pakistan, however, was separated from the poor selection of the shot, the possibilities of memories and the wrong bowling.

The Indian pacers are often called ‘medium pacers’ by Pakistani fans, offering permanently length, while Pakistani bowlers face challenges with their control. In this sector, India’s rapid pace was clear because unlike Pakistan, they took advantage of every opportunity, which refrained from the four major catches.

Instead of showing Pakistan’s batsmen, discipline and flexibility, they failed to effectively implement themselves, contribute to their fall and simplify India’s work. The defeat margin once again highlighted Pakistan’s struggle to compete at the highest level.

Virat Kohli once again harassed Pakistan from the knock -winning match, and in this fact reinforced his dominance. Over the years, it has eliminated Pakistan’s bowling attacks by single -handed, which has earned their credibility to be the final semis.

Although the number of Kohli against Pakistan is noteworthy, they are no different from the overall figure of his career. However, its psychological impact on the Pakistan team is undeniable.

Former Pakistan bowler Shoaib Akhtar was lost for words when India defeated men in Green in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The unilateral nature of the competition at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has once again proved that India has moved from miles away from its chatter. “This is a mindless and unconscious arrangement. I’m really disappointed What do I say to children (players)? Children and the administration are the same. They do not know what to do. They do not have the intention and skills like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gul. They can’t play like them. I’m really disappointed The administration and the players do not know what is needed. They just went to play without knowing their role. Once again, really disappointed, “Shoaib Akhtar said.

After the announcement of the squad, criticism was rapidly created. Pakistan selectors chose to ignore requests from former players and analysts so that the second spinner could be added to the 15 -member roster, eventually selected Abrar Ahmed as the only spinner. Instead, he relied on part -time spinners Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah, who collectively claimed only one wicket in two matches.

In addition, the decision not to include the regular opener proved to be a memorandum, as he developed Fakhar Zaman in a risk in partnership. When Zaman was hurt, Imamul Haq, who was not part of the original squad, was called.

In an unexpected decision, the selectors included all -rounder Khush Dale and Fahim Ashraf on the basis of their performance in the Bangladesh Twenty20 league, yet Ashraf did not play ODIs for two years and did not play the happy deal for three.

Former Pakistan cricketers also accused Pakistan batsmen of playing outdated cricket. In 2025, Pakistan was playing cricket style of the 1980s and 1990s, while other teams developed well to adopt aggressive and modern style. The mentality of Pakistan’s players is not similar to modern cricket.

Former all-rounder Shahid Afridi shared his thoughts on the team’s mind, adding, “I knew that was going to happen. If you play cricket in 2025 with a mentality of 1980-90, you will definitely lose the game.

The performance of the Pakistan cricket team in Whiteball formats is under rapid scrutiny, one of the major issues is the highest number of dot balls. Dot ball refers to the supply from where no one scores, and collecting them can rapidly disrupt the team’s scoring capacity.

In addition, reliance on aggressive batting in short formats sometimes comes at the cost of a strategic gameplay. Although immediate runs are necessary, the ability to rotate the strike is equally important. Dot dot can focus on reducing balls, the team can maintain speed, disappoint the bowlers, and create a more competitive overall.

The illness of playing too much dot balls also hurt them because Pakistan played 152 dot balls against India in scoring 241 in 49.4 overs, including a record 28 balls, with no score in the first six overs. Even in the first game against New Zealand, he had 162 dot balls in a total of 260 in his 47.2 overs.

Rizwan had shouted Kuldeep Yadav for four from the first ball, which was encountered. The next limit came on the 49th delivery, which he faced with Ravindra Jadeja in the 25th over. Another – the third and last – came from Jadeja on 27th. During the overs 11 to 24, Rizwan faced 45 delivery, and 29 of them faced. He did not hit the same limit, and he got only 16 singles. When he was dismissed by Xer Patel in the 34th over, Rizwan’s contribution to Shakeel was 104, but he took 144 balls. The rotation of a better strike, which was not there was a major mistake.

In the opener of his tournament, facing a 321 target against New Zealand, Pakistan had already faced similar challenges, with 161 dot balls gathered. In a high -ranking match against Arc Revolution India, the situation remained the same, which caused him to face 147 dot balls, which identified the permanent pressure of India’s bowlers.

Despite challenging 11 balls from Mohammed Shami of India, which includes five wide, Pakistan’s batsmen struggled to take advantage of, played 28 dot balls in the first six overs. The situation worsened, because within the first 26 overs, Pakistan suffered a surprising 100 dot balls, which highlighted the virtues of the Indian team’s health and fielding.

When you play 25.2 over dot balls in 50 overs, it’s a problem. Pandya led the show with 31 dot balls in his 8 overs. Three pacers from India bowled 85 dot balls between them. Meanwhile, India bowled like a unit and on the other hand accepted only 14 fours and three sixes.

Now, the dotball percentage was not a major problem for the elite teams and batsmen as they compensate for the limits. However, Pakistan has not been able to do so. In 2025, their boundary percentage is better than 40.08 in Bangladesh. With the initial expulsion from the Champions Trophy, Pakistan is now facing a wave of criticism back home. Although immediate reaction is expected, the real challenge lies in resolving the systemic issues, which led to the fall.

Historically, Pakistan has chosen rather than implementing meaningful reforms, such as changing captains or changing the wholesale squad. Unless a long -term strategy is developed, Pakistan can continue to struggle in major ICC incidents.

KHURMS87@yahoo.com