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Pakistan's star Khushdil Shah is still trying to figure out why he was picked in Men in Green's Champions Trophy 2025 squad. In an honest confession, Khushdil, who fought till the end in Pakistan's 60-run defeat against New Zealand in Champions Trophy 2025's campaign opener, expressed his surprise at his selection in the Pakistan's squad for the eight-team tournament despite his subpar performance.
Despite a quickfire 69 off 49 balls in Pakistan's campaign opener in Karachi, Khushdil couldn't save his side from going down New Zealand by 60 runs. Since his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in November 2020, Khushdil has only played 14 ODIs and has amassed 290 runs riding on just one fifty.
His T20I appearances have also been limited, with his last match in that format occurring in October 2023He had a disappointing run with both bat and ball during the recent tri-series hosted by Pakistan, which also included New Zealand and South Africa. Nevertheless, he was included in the playing XI for the Champions Trophy opener, where he top-scored for his team.
Khushdil Shah is surprised over his selection in Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad
After Pakistan's defeat against Kiwis, Khushdil Shah said that he himself didn't know how he got into the team despite being out of favour with the selectors for two years.
“I myself didn’t know how I got into the team because I have been out of favour with the selectors for two years now,” Khushdil Shah said after the match.
He also addressed the 'Parchi' chants hurled towards him and said he is unaffected by the harsh treatment he has been receiving from the fans.
“I don’t take it (criticism) to heart because you can’t stop people from saying what they say. The only answer I can give is to do my best and play a role in helping our team win,” Khushdil concluded.
Going by the 30-year-old's impressive show in the Pakistan's losing cause against New Zealand, it will be interesting to see whether Khushdil gets another shot in team's final XI for the high-octane clash against India, which is scheduled to be played on February 23 at the Dubai International stadium. Meanwhile, Pakistan have suffered a big blow ahead of the all-important clash against India as their star opener Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the remainder of the Champions Trophy after picking injury during match against New Zealand. PCB has announced Imam Ul Haq as Fakhar Zaman's replacement in Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad.
Pakistan's updated squad for Champions Trophy:
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
