Pakistan’s disappointing performance and early exit from the Champions Trophy 2025 has drawn strong criticism from fans and the cricket community, and has now caught the attention of the government in Islamabad.
“The prime minister will personally take notice, and we will ask him to raise these cricket-related issues in the cabinet and parliament,” said Rana Sanaullah, PM Shehbaz Sharif’s aide on Political and Public Affairs, on Geo News.
These remarks follow the Pakistan team’s poor showing in the ICC tournament, the first hosted by Pakistan in nearly 30 years. The defending champions suffered losses to New Zealand and India, and their final match against Bangladesh was a formality as both teams were already eliminated.
Despite public disappointment, interim head coach Aqib Javed defended the team selection. Rana Sanaullah criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for operating as an independent entity with little oversight. He plans to urge PM Shehbaz to address the PCB’s issues, including financial transparency and the appointment of officials.
Sanaullah highlighted concerns about the PCB’s expenditure, questioning the large sums paid to mentors and the extravagant perks enjoyed by officials. He lamented the neglect of grassroots cricket, suggesting that funds should be used more effectively.
He criticized the lack of a consistent system within the PCB, attributing the current problems to unchecked power. He also pointed out similar issues in other sports associations.
Pakistan’s recent cricket performances have been consistently poor. They lost to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, suffered a defeat against India, and had disappointing campaigns in the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024.
