Aqib Javed confident Pakistan can defend Champions Trophy title in 2025

Aqib Javed, the interim head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, is optimistic about the team's chances of defending their ICC Champions Trophy title in 2025. Drawing inspiration from Pakistan’s historic victory in 2017 under Sarfaraz Ahmed, Aqib believes the team has the potential to repeat their success, especially with the tournament being hosted on home soil.  

Speaking on the Podcast, Aqib highlighted the importance of the upcoming tri-nation series featuring South Africa and New Zealand. He emphasized that this series will be critical in fine-tuning the team’s preparations for the highly anticipated mega-event.  

“The tri-nation series before the Champions Trophy is a great opportunity as it involves strong teams,” Aqib stated. “It will help resolve a few uncertainties in the decision-making process,” he added.   

Aqib expressed excitement about hosting the tournament in Pakistan, saying, “The Champions Trophy in Pakistan, in front of our fans, is something we are looking forward to. I believe Pakistan can replicate their 2017 success. We are still the defending champions.”  

The former fast bowler also shared his plans to broaden the player pool and implement a rotational policy to manage workloads and improve performance. “The way cricket is evolving, we need to expand our players’ pool. Brave decisions are required to ensure players remain fresh and interested,” he said.  

Aqib stressed the importance of rest periods, adding, “Players need gaps of four to six weeks after three months of continuous cricket to work on their skills and regain physical fitness. Our focus is to ensure players can perform at the top level for 10 to 12 years.”  

The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will begin on 19 February 2025, with Pakistan facing New Zealand in the opening match in Karachi. The final is scheduled for 9 March in Lahore. However, if India qualifies for the final, it will be played in Dubai instead.  

With home-ground advantage and solid preparation plans in place, Pakistan fans are hopeful the team can deliver another memorable performance in the Champions Trophy.