The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-player squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to take place in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9.
Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, and Saud Shakeel are returning to the squad for the tournament.
The same squad will also be in action during the tri-nation ODI series, which features New Zealand and South Africa in Lahore and Karachi, as part of the preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
There have been four changes to the 15-man squad that last played an ODI series late last year against South Africa. Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, and Saud Shakeel replace Abdullah Shafique, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, and Sufyan Moqim. Captained by Mohammad Rizwan, the squad also includes Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain. Three players from the squad that went to the 2017 Champions Trophy are available: Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, and Fakhar Zaman. Babar and Fakhar, who were part of the side that also included Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Saud Shakeel, had also played in the last 50-over ICC event—the ICC Men's 50-over Cricket World Cup 2023.
Opener Fakhar Zaman, who was part of the Pakistan team that won the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 against India, is returning after injuries and illness, which kept him away from international cricket since June 2024.
Asad Shafiq of the National Selection Committee confirmed that Babar or Shakeel could open alongside Fakhar. "Fakhar's opening partner could be either Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel, depending on various factors like conditions, opposition, and match strategy," he said. "Both openers are quite skilled at the top of the order, with Babar being especially experienced in the position, having opened regularly in T20Is and also performed well in the Cape Town Test by scoring two half-centuries in Saim Ayub's absence," said Shafiq.
Promising young batter Saim Ayub will unfortunately miss out on the 15-man squad, having sustained an ankle fracture during the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town earlier this month. He, along with assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, traveled to London for treatment and could not recover in time.
"Saim Ayub is not in the squad because of an ankle injury, but we are hopeful about his recovery. We know how much he was looking forward to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and we can only imagine how devastating it must be for him to miss a global event when he is in such exceptional batting form," said Shafiq. "However, as an asset to our team, we are keen to prioritize his long-term health rather than making any hasty decisions."
The Pakistan ODI team will report to Lahore on Monday (February 3). The PCB will be allowed to make changes to the squad until February 11; after that date, any replacements will be allowed only on medical grounds and will be subject to ICC Event Technical Committee approval.
Pakistan's 15-player squad:
Batters: Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Rizwan (c), Usman Khan
All-rounders: Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain)
Fast bowlers: Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed
Read also| PCB and ICC to Host Champions Trophy Opening Ceremony in Lahore on February 16