IND vs PAK: The team selection will be under scrutiny after the defeat against India in Dubai almost ensured that co-hosts Pakistan are out of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 elimination race. While many former cricketers said that Pakistan are missing another spinner in their lineup for the conditions in Dubai, head coach Aaqib Javed said that they will back their strength which is pace attack. Khushdil Shah and Agha Salman were not effective with the ball and it showed as they couldn't trouble Virat Kohli. Despite the defeat, captain Mohammad Rizwan defended playing with four promiment bowlers and two part-time bowlers.
"In ODIs you can't have five genuine bowlers. Naseem [Shah], Shaheen [Afridi], Haris [Rauf], Abrar. The fifth, you see New Zealand have Santner and Bracewell, India have Jadeja and Patel. The best we had, the selectors picked them - Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah. If we go with two genuine spinners, that means we are going with five bowlers and six batters and we can't make a combo of that," Rizwan told the reporters in Dubai after the six-wicket defeat.
"So yeah, there will be questions about having another spinner but you can't go in with five genuine bowlers in an ODI. Maybe in a T20," he added.
The target set in team meeting wasn't achieved
Rizwan also admitted that Pakistan's campaign is now as good as over. Rizwan doesn't want to depend on the results of other games to solidify their spot in the last four. Rizwan also revealed the total that he had in mind which was discussed in the team meeting as well.
"In our team meeting yesterday we had said we'll target 270-280 on this, given the outfield was slow, the pitch was slow. If we'd got 280 the result might have been different. Saud [Shakeel] and I started building up a partnership, over which we took some time, but after that our shot selection was poor. That gave them a chance to take wickets and put pressure on our middle order. They built on it, and we couldn't stabilise ourselves," said the wicketkeeper-batter.
What Pakistan need to be in the last four
Pakistan will now hope that Bangladesh and India beat New Zealand. If New Zealand beat Bangladesh on February 24, Pakistan's last group stage match against Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side on February 27 will be a dead rubber.
