Star Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan came forward and admitted that his side are in desperate need of improvement after their early exit from the Champions Trophy 2025.
The Champions Trophy 2025 turned from one of the most awaited tournaments to one of the most dreaded for hosts Pakistan. The Men in Green were hosting an ICC tournament after a long hiatus, and the side’s campaign did not go as smoothly as imagined for the side.
Placed in Group A alongside India, Bangladesh, and New Zealand, Pakistan hoped for a good start. However, losses to New Zealand and India saw the Men in Green already on the brink of elimination. Furthermore, with the third clash against Bangladesh washed out, Mohammad Rizwan’s side’s elimination from the Champions Trophy 2025 was confirmed.
After the clash against Bangladesh was abandoned, skipper Rizwan came forward and expressed his views about the early exit. “The expectations from the whole nation is high but we didn’t perform and that is disappointing for us. Obviously, you can learn from the mistakes. Thankfully we noticed our mistakes from the tri-series and the big tournament. Hopefully, we can work on it when we play against New Zealand next and, hopefully we can improve there,” said Rizwan in the post-match press conference.
Furthermore, the 32-year-old also admitted that Pakistan are in desperate need of improvement and admitted that he did not want to take cover behind excuses and the injured players being the reason for the team’s elimination.
“Basically, the guy (Saim Ayyub) who has performed well in Australia and here, he is injured. The team gets disturbed. But as a captain, you have to look forward as you are playing for Pakistan. We have a lot of talent, we didn’t give it as an excuse that Saim Ayub was injured and Fakhar Zaman was injured,” Rizwan said.
As for Pakistan’s upcoming assignments, the side will be touring New Zealand for a white ball series. Both sides will lock horns across five T20Is, and three ODI matches, and the Men in Green will hope to make some major changes as they look to improve.
