Pakistan’s skipper Mohammad Rizwan speaks during a press conference regarding the ICC Champions Trophy, in Karachi, Pakistan Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said that the side needed to be on top of their game if they want to do well in the Champions Trophy, starting on Wednesday. He also said that they need to rectify the side’s tendency to collapse under pressure.
“It is hard to say how we will perform on a particular day because it is important for us to play to our optimum level to win matches,” Rizwan said a day before Pakistan take on New Zealand in the tournament opener.
“I think we lack that one or two per cent needed to win matches under pressure because unfortunately, we tend to crack under pressure and lose close matches as we have seen in recent games,” he added..
The Pakistan captain also urged his side to show the same resilience in the Champions Trophy which they had shown during the 10-year period when no international side toured the country.
“I think, most importantly, we should all enjoy the Champions Trophy as it is after a long time (that) we are having such a big event in Pakistan, after 10 years (that) we spent playing our home matches elsewhere,” Rizwan said.
“If you see, even in those 10 years (that) we suffered, Pakistan cricket did well and won big matches including being the Test No 1team and (winning the) Champions Trophy. I hope we can repeat that same thing in this tournament,” he added.
No top team in international cricket had toured Pakistan following the terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009 until the start of this decade when top teams such as Australia, England and New Zealand resumed visiting their Asian opponent.
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In between, Pakistan hosted Zimbabwe in 2015 and a World XI side under Faf du Plessis had toured for a three-match T20I series to quell concerns regarding security.
(with agency inputs)
