Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on January 31 announced their squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Injured Saim Ayub was ruled out due to ankle injury and veteran opener Fakhar Zaman made a comeback. The team also included the likes of Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah. Pace-bowling all-rounder Ashraf's inclusion did not please legendary Wasim Akram as he pointed out his recent performances have been very underwhelming.
"I have seen the squad announced by Pakistan but not properly. A couple of selections, for instance, Faheem Ashraf has been included in the team. I wish him all the best. He is a talented cricketer but in last 20 games, his bowling average is 100 and batting average is 9. He just came out of the blue along with Khushdil," Akram said at a press conference during ILT20 2025.
Akram pointed out that India have included just one proper spinner in Abrar Ahmed compared to India who have four in the squad.
"We are taking just one proper spinner compared to India who have included three to four. Anyway, the team has been selected. I wish Pakistan all the best. There will be pressure on them at the homeground. I hope they reach the semifinals," Akram said.
The former Pakistan captain also said that Pakistan may have looked at Aamer Jamal instead of Ashraf as a long-term option.
"Our fast bowlers are all good. Talking about all-rounders, if you have to invest in someone for long-term, it should have been Aamer Jamal who is not in the squad. I hope there is a mindset behind the decision. I am just talking about the team I saw on social media," the 58-year-old said.
Jamal's ODI and List A statistics
Jamal has played three ODIs so far. He made his ODI debut in the series against Zimbabwe last year. The 28-year-old claimed three wickets at an average of 28.33. In List A cricket, he has scored 307 runs from 28 innings at an average of 12.28. With the ball, he has 56 List A wickets at an average of 29.33. His economy rate of 6.68 runs per over is not impressive either.
Pakistan's Champions Trophy 2025 squad
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.