Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi trapped in heavy firing!! Pakistan future goes in dark clouds

Pakistan National Cricket Team’s top players, like Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, will have to face the consequences of the team’s disastrous campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Both Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi failed to live up to the expectations in the prestigious tournament.

Pakistan’s return as hosts for an ICC tournament after nearly three decades turned into a nightmare. The ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which marked their first major ICC event at home since the 1996 ODI World Cup, ended in disappointment as the team suffered an early exit from the event.

Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi's future uncertain after Pakistan’s early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

The Men in Green’s campaign finished within just five days, with back-to-back defeats against New Zealand and India sealing their fate. Their hopes of making it to the semifinal shattered with New Zealand’s recent win over Bangladesh.

Read Also: Babar Azam & Co. in trouble as Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif set to take action after CT 2025 disaster

Well, the hosts could not even save their pride, as their final group match against Bangladesh was washed out, making them the first host nation to finish the ICC event without a single win, leaving the entire nation furious at the PCB and the team.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s disastrous performance has raised serious concerns about the team’s future, especially for key players like Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi. It is now confirmed that Pakistan cricket is heading for major changes following the embarrassing Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.

PCB to review Pakistan's performance in Champions Trophy

As reported by Cricket Pakistan, the PCB has announced a comprehensive review of the national team's performance after their Champions Trophy 2025 debacle. The report revealed that Babar, Shaheen, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah are all set to be left out of future plans as the team looks for a fresh approach.

The interim head coach, Aaqib Javed, doesn’t want to step down from his position despite the team's poor performance at the mega event. However, with growing criticism from fans and former cricketers, the PCB may not allow Aaqib Javed to continue as the head coach.

Read Also: "Virat Kohli had MS Dhoni, who does Babar Azam have"- Tainted Pakistan captain

Adding to the chaos, the report also confirmed the internal conflicts within the team, especially between captain Mohammad Rizwan and the Aaqib Javed-led coaching staff and selectors. Rizwan was reportedly frustrated because he was not consulted on important team selection decisions.

Mohammad Rizwan and Aaqib Javed clash over team selection

Mohammad Rizwan wanted to pick Khushdil Shah for the marquee event, but head coach Aaqib Javed selected Faheem Ashraf even without consulting him, showing a lack of agreement between the captain and the selection committee. The lack of coordination between them only worsened Pakistan’s struggles, and they failed to deliver in the tournament.

Well, Pakistan cricket is at a turning point, and big changes are on the cards, whether in the squad or the coaching staff after the PCB finishes the review.

Notably, Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign ended in disaster as they finished at the bottom of the table with just one point and a poor Net Run Rate of -1.087.

They created an unwanted record, as Pakistan became the first host nation in Champions Trophy history to finish last in the group stage without a single victory since the event was launched in 2002.