'Backing From Higher Authorities': Ex-Pakistan Star's 'Champions Trophy 2025 Selection' Bombshell

Pakistan had a horrible outing in the Champions Trophy 2025 as the Mohammad Rizwan-led side was eliminated without a single win. They lost their first two matches against India and New Zealand while their last game against Bangladesh was washed out. The Pakistan cricketers faced a lot of criticism for their lack of form - both from experts as well as fans. Former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz feels that Pakistan's team selection was 'unbalanced' to begin with and even alleged that some of the players picked from the competition was there due to 'backing from higher authorities'.

“The team (for the Champions Trophy) was unbalanced. Some players were selected because of backing from higher authorities. When the team was announced, I wrote to the chairman of the PCB suggesting spinners like Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who had wrecked England earlier. They performed well against the West Indies too, but they were not picked at all,” he said in an interview with Cricbuzz.

Nawaz further said that India have left Pakistan behind in their on-field rivalry and even went on to say that "Pakistan cricket is gone now". He also took shots at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for "picking people who previously destroyed Pakistan cricket" and making constant changes to the set-up.

“There's no doubt (that India have left Pakistan far behind)… Pakistan cricket is gone now. I think it's because of all the PCB officials running the board. They are non-cricketers; they are bureaucrats. That's why I think they don't know how to go about things like that. They've picked people who previously destroyed Pakistan cricket."

“And then there are frequent changes in the PCB. Within a year and a half, there were three chairmen and four captains. What else do you expect?” he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Board ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Cricket