Rawalpindi: Their dreams of defending the Champions Trophy title at home shattered, an under-fire Pakistan team will seek to play for pride when it faces an equally insipid Bangladesh in a dead rubber here on Thursday.
With the tournament offering very little margin for error, Pakistan crumbled to suffer heavy defeats to New Zealand and arch-rivals India, which left them on the brink of elimination before the Kiwis confirmed it with their win over Bangladesh.
Disgruntled fans are now calling for sweeping changes in the country’s cricket structure starting from the very top of the pyramid, days after the first global tournament in Pakistan in 29 years got underway.
This marks the third straight time Pakistan has bowed out in the group stages of a global white-ball tournament, following early exits in the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup.
At a time when teams have embraced a fearless, aggressive approach, Pakistan seemed to be stuck in the past. Their top order remains passive, playing out deliveries in hope rather than intent, waiting until the 35th over to accelerate.
Their struggles were glaring, as they showed no urgency, playing a staggering 161 dot balls against New Zealand in Rawalpindi and 147 against India in Dubai.
Poor shot selection, substandard fielding, and untimely injuries have only deepened Pakistan’s woes. The loss of game-changing opener Fakhar Zaman to injury left a huge void at the top, and his replacement, Imam-ul-Haq, failed to make an impact.
Meanwhile, star batter Babar Azam and captain Mohammad Rizwan have also fallen short of expectations, offering little resistance when it mattered the most.
Pakistan has historically relied on its formidable pace attack to win matches, but frontline quicks Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf have looked rusty and ineffective, failing to provide the firepower they once promised.
Beyond the field, Pakistan’s perpetual instability has been a major factor in their downward spiral.
A system plagued by constant upheaval has seen the team cycle through countless selectors, eight different coaches, including World Cup-winning South African Gary Kirsten, and four captains in just three years.
With chaos at the top, Pakistan’s struggles on the pitch seem inevitable.
On the spin-friendly tracks of Dubai and Karachi, Pakistan bafflingly named only one specialist spinner in Abrar Ahmed, leaving their bowling unit toothless.
Like Pakistan, last edition’s semifinalists Bangladesh have also been knocked out of the tournament after successive defeats to India and New Zealand.
Their batting lineup, barring glimpses of resilience from Towhid Hridoy, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Jaker Ali, has largely failed to fire.
Despite thriving on spin-friendly conditions at home, the Bangla Tigers have struggled against slower bowlers, a weakness thoroughly exposed in this campaign.
Bangladesh’s inability to capitalise on key moments, particularly their sloppy fielding, has cost them dearly.
Dropped catches in both matches have only added to their woes. However, up against an off-colour Pakistan, Bangladesh could sense an opportunity to finish their campaign on a high and salvage some pride.
Teams (from):
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid, Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
Match starts at 2.30 pm IST.
