PCB will open their ICC Champions Trophy campaign against New Zealand on February 19.
Former ODI World Cup opener Imam-ul-Haq has been left heartbroken after he wasn’t selected in Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. After a long delay, the co-hosts Pakistan announced their roster on Friday, with a couple of surprise inclusions. But Imam wasn’t one of them, as PCB went for other replacements of Saim Ayub.
Imam-ul-Haq heartbroken for Champions Trophy snub
Taking to his social media, Imam wrote: “Not the outcome I expected, but the journey isn’t over. This is how life is—it’s all about growth and getting stronger with every hurdle. Patience and trust in Allah is the key!”
Imam wished that the PCB replaced injured Ayub with him after the veteran southpaw enjoyed a great run of form in recent times. Imam, who has played 72 one-day international matches for Pakistan, has 3138 runs at an average of 48.27. He last featured in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India but since then, Imam has gained enough form. He played Pakistan’s new ODI Champions Cup, where he hammered three fifties in four innings. In that tournament, Imam made 212 runs at an average of 53.00 and at a SR of 90.99.
Saim Ayub who went injured during the Test series against South Africa, failed to make it into the squad. PCB was sweating it out, hoping for his recovery, but ultimately, his ankle injury didn’t seem to be fine by now, so Kushdil Shah was replaced. Kushdil, meanwhile, made 176 runs at an average of 35.20 in the ODI Champions Cup.
Pakistan squad for tri-nation series and Champions Trophy 2025
The PCB announced squad changes, replacing Abdullah Shafique, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, and Sufyan Moqim with Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, and Saud Shakeel.
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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