As captain, he voiced his frustration about relying on others
24 February, 2025
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PHOTO: ICC
Pakistan's white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged that his team's chances of advancing in the ICC Champions Trophy are virtually over following a six-wicket defeat to India on Sunday. This loss came just after a 60-run defeat against New Zealand in their opening match.
With only one group-stage game left against Bangladesh, Pakistan must now depend on other teams' results to have any chance of reaching the semifinals. Rizwan expressed his disappointment with the team's repeated struggles in major tournaments.
"We can say for now that it is over," Rizwan stated after the match.
"We’ll see what Bangladesh does against New Zealand and what we do. It’s a long road, and it depends on other teams," he added.
As captain, he voiced his frustration about relying on others: "If you are good enough, you win and keep things in your hands. I don’t like worrying about other teams’ results. What matters is that India and New Zealand beat us. They played well, and we did not," he emphasized.
Rizwan acknowledged that the team will have to face tough questions about their performances. If New Zealand defeats Bangladesh on Monday, Pakistan's elimination will be confirmed, marking the third consecutive ICC white-ball tournament where they exit before the knockout stages.
Since taking over as captain late last year, Rizwan has led Pakistan to ODI series victories in Australia and South Africa. However, he noted the team's tendency to repeat mistakes from previous matches, including the recent tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa.
His own performance, scoring 46 runs off 77 balls, is likely to come under scrutiny, especially after Babar Azam faced criticism following the first match. Rizwan's innings was slow-paced until a late acceleration, but his dismissal was one of three quick wickets that hindered Pakistan's progress.
"When you lose, you're obviously disappointed, and difficult questions arise," he said.
"We made mistakes in all three departments, which is why we lost today," Rizwan explained.
He added, "In our team meeting yesterday, we said we would target 270-280 runs, given the slow pitch and outfield. If we had scored 280, the result might have been different. Saud [Shakeel] and I started building a partnership, but our shot selection was poor and allowed them to take wickets."
Rizwan also pointed out that Pakistan has been making the same mistakes repeatedly.
"These aren’t new; we’ve been repeating them in the last four matches. We work on them, but we’re human, and errors happen. India was braver than us, which is why they won," he further explained.
The absence of key players before the tournament further compounded Pakistan's batting issues. Saim Ayub was ruled out with a fractured ankle, and Fakhar Zaman was sidelined just two balls into the opening match, leaving the team reliant on Imam-ul-Haq.
The decision to include only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed, has also been questioned. While Rizwan defended the squad selection, he admitted the team lacked balance.
"In ODIs, you can't have five genuine bowlers. Naseem [Shah], Shaheen [Afridi], Haris [Rauf], and Abrar are our best options. If we include two genuine spinners, that means we have to go with five bowlers and six batters, which is tough to balance," he concluded.
Virat Kohli’s 51st ODI century led India to a six-wicket win over Pakistan in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Chasing 242 runs, India reached the target with 45 balls to spare, thanks to a crucial 114-run partnership between Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, who scored 56 runs. Kohli finished unbeaten on 100 off 111 balls.
Pakistan had set the target after being bowled out for 241, with Saud Shakeel top-scoring at 62. Kuldeep Yadav was the standout bowler for India, taking three wickets.
India’s strong performance keeps them on track for the tournament title.
