Lahore: The 15-man national team for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy has been announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The competition, set to take place in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9, will see four significant roster changes. Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, and Fakhar Zaman have returned to the team after a break.The ICC Event Technical Committee must approve any changes to the team, which can only be made on a medical basis after February 11th, when the PCB has the final say. Prior to the Champions Trophy, this team will also play South Africa and New Zealand in the tri-nation ODI series in Karachi and Lahore.
Among the players removed from the team were Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Muhammad Irfan Khan. Power-hitter Khushdil Shah, opener Fakhar Zaman, seasoned all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, and technically sound middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel replace them. Five specialized batsmen, four quick bowlers, one specialized spinner, two wicketkeeper-batters, and three all-rounders make up the team.Naseem Shah, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the players on the chosen team.The team views Fakhar Zaman’s return, following his historic century against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, as a significant boost.
Due to injury and illness, he had not participated in international cricket since June 2024. He made an incredible return at the Champions T20 Cup 2024 in December, finishing with 303 runs at a strike rate of over 132 to rank third in the competition’s run-scoring rankings. Khushdil Shah and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf last participated in an ODI for Pakistan in August 2022 and September 2023, respectively. They brought in Saud Shakeel to bolster the middle order.
