The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced Pakistan’s 15-member national squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, to be hosted by the country.
The much-anticipated cricket tournament is set to begin on February 19 and run until March 9. Mohammad Rizwan has been named the team’s captain, with Salman Ali Agha as the vice-captain. Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Saud Shakeel, and Faheem Ashraf are set to make their return.
Selection committee member Asad Shafiq stated that Fakhar Zaman’s opening partner could be either Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel, adding that players with excellent performances in home conditions have been selected.
The squad also includes Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Tayyab Tahir, Salman Ali Agha, and Usman Khan. Haris Rauf, Muhammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are also part of the team.
The PCB has until February 11 to make changes to the squad, after which replacements will only be permitted on medical grounds, with the approval of the ICC Event Technical Committee.
Pakistan has made four changes to its 15-member squad that last played an ODI series against South Africa late last year. Abdullah Shafique, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, and Sufyan Moqim have been replaced by Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, and Saud Shakeel.
The squad features three players from Pakistan’s 2017 Champions Trophy-winning team — Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, and Fakhar Zaman. Additionally, Babar, Fakhar, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Saud Shakeel were part of Pakistan’s squad in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Since the conclusion of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Pakistan has played three ODI series, securing victories against Australia (2-1), Zimbabwe (2-1), and South Africa (3-0).
The tournament, scheduled to take place primarily in Pakistan with a few matches in the United Arab Emirates, holds significant importance as the host nation, marking the return of an International Cricket Council (ICC) event to the country after 29 years.
Pakistan is determined to defend their Champions Trophy title, which they won in 2017 by defeating India in a memorable final. Fakhar Zaman’s match-winning performance in that encounter remains one of the most iconic moments in Pakistan’s cricket history.
