Just when Pakistan lost their must-win clash against arch-nemesis India, the entire Pakistani nation got in a disarray. The entire squad, including the support staff, got thrashed by former players and pundits. The fans cried foul and asked for another “surgery” for the whole Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). But now, all kinds of reports are circulating, including a potential “ego clash” between the skipper and head coach. According to The Express Tribune, Mohammad Rizwan and Aaqib Javed were at loggerheads over Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy squad, a roster that received a lot of flak from everyone.
Fight between Rizwan & Aaqib Javed?
Apparently, there was a clash of opinion during Pakistan’s selection of their squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. This is despite PCB being almost three weeks late in announcing their squad. Hosting an ICC event at home after a wait of 30 years, the tournament didn’t go as planned. The investment of hundreds of crores seemed like a waste as Pakistan got eliminated after losing against New Zealand and India. Many of the pundits blamed Pakistan’s squad selection for their result.
Now, according to Pakistani reports, Rizwan backed Khushdil Shah, while Aaqib Javed liked to have Faheem Ashraf. Ultimately, Pakistan chose both of the all-rounders, with Khushdil playing in all Champions Trophy matches thus far.
“Mohammad Rizwan expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of consultation in key selection decisions. Rizwan had suggested including Khushdil Shah, but Aqib Javed opted to select Faheem Ashraf instead. Additionally, there were reports of a lack of coordination between the selectors and Rizwan, the report unveiled,” stated The Express Tribune.
Another surgery by PCB incoming?
PCB Chairman Naqvi had suggested making some changes to the squad before the event, but those suggestions fell on deaf ears. Now, it seems like the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is gearing up for some major shake-ups, just like they did post an embarrassing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA. Now, the board plans to conduct a thorough review of the team’s performance and have some tough conversations with the management to figure out what went wrong. Aqib Javed, the interim head coach, won’t be continuing in that role, but he might still have a significant say in team selections.
Pakistan squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
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