The washout game against Bangladesh denied Pakistan a consolation in Champions Trophy 2025, having already eliminated from the eight-team tournament, suffering back-to-back defeats in their first two matches. Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan's last league-stage match against Bangladesh was abandoned without a bowl being bowled due to persistent rain.
Pakistan hence signed off the Champions Trophy winless, as the 2017 champions finished their Group A journey without securing a single win. With this Pakistan clocked an embarrassing record, as they became the first team in 23 years to be eliminated from the prestigious 50-over tournament without a win. This outcome was particularly disheartening, given that Pakistan was hosting an ICC tournament for the first time in nearly three decades. The team's performance placed them at the bottom of Group A, trailing Bangladesh with just one point and a significantly negative net run rate.
Mohammad Rizwan is heartbroken after Pakistan's winless Champions Trophy campaign
India and New Zealand remained the two teams from Group A to qualify for the Champions Trophy semifinal, both of whom decisively defeated Pakistan and Bangladesh. Pakistan's tournament began with a 60-run loss to New Zealand in Karachi. They then faced a crucial must-win match against their arch-rivals, India, in Dubai. However, Mohammad Rizwan's team suffered a six-wicket defeat, sealing their fate and cementing their early exit from the tournament.
Meanwhile, after the washed out game at the Rawalpindi stadium, Mohammad Rizwan talked his heart out on Pakistan's performance and road ahead. The gutted Rizwan admitted team's shortcomings and openly accepted they failed to meet the fans' expectations. However, the star wicketkeeper-batter is still optimistic as he vowed to learn from the mistakes and move forward.
"We wanted to do well and perform well in from of our nation. The expectations are very high. We didn't perform well and it is disappointing for us. [Way forward] You can learn from your mistakes. We have made mistakes in the last few games. Hopefully, we can learn from these. We are next going to New Zealand and hopefully we can perform there and the mistakes that we did against New Zealand here in Pakistan, we can learn from that. And we will do better in New Zealand," Rizwan said after the washed-out match.
"[Massive injuries] The guy who has been performing from the last few months in Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe… the team was combined and then suddenly when someone is injured, the team will be disturbed. As a captain, you can look forward to that as well. One side you can say that the team is disturbed, but this no excuse. Yes, Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were injured, but we will learn from this. [Happy with the bench strength] This a very tough question. The bench strength in Pakistan… let me see the five teams in the Pakistan Cup. We want improvements in different things. If we want to improve, and for Pakistan to have a high standard, we need awareness, professionalism. We see that in the Champions Cup, but we need more improvement. [How are you holding up?] We are all very disappointed. We are all here for the nation. Pakistan is our priority and the expectation from us is very high. We are upset and we are accepting that we didn't do well. Hopefully, we will do more hard work and comeback," he added.
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