Pakistan Cricket is currently facing a lot of criticism after they failed to perform in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Defending champions Pakistan were among the first teams that got out of the Champions Trophy after losing their first two league matches against New Zealand and India respectively.
Pakistan also becomes the first ever team that got out of a tournament without winning a single clash, despite the hosts. Former cricketers and experts believe the signs were there in the making for a few years. A major part of the blame for Pakistan's current situation goes to former skipper Babar Azam, who allegedly, selected his 'friends' in the team and overlooked others who arguably had more merit.
In the exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, Veteran Pakistani cricketer Ahmed Shehzad, who has been out of the national side for quite some time, accused Babar of 'favouritism' while he was leading the national team.
"It's sad to see him in this condition. When he started his career, it seemed he would break all records for Pakistan. But now, everything is in front of you-players don't fail for this long. It was a mistake to make a performer the captain. After becoming captain, he surrounded himself with friends and selected them for the team, disregarding merit. When you favour friends over deserving players, the wheels of domestic cricket stop turning, as genuine performers don't get enough chances," Shehzad told Sports Today.
Shehzad also revealed that there is political interference in Pakistan when it comes to the selection of players, management, or even coaching staff.
"Political interference has always been there; there's no doubt. But the condition of the team is not because of the last two years, this has been happening for a while now. When you don't bring in reforms, when you don't honour merit, and when you don't control indiscipline in the team, sooner or later, these results will come," Shehzad added.
