Courtesy: PCB
After the exit of the Pakistan cricket team from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the reports of a rift between captain Mohammad Rizwan and head coach Aaqib Javed has emerged. It is understood that Rizwan had disagreements with Javed over team selection for the Champions Trophy, which is currently ongoing in Pakistan and the UAE, and he also wasn’t happy about not being consulted in regards to the crucial decisions in connection with the national side.
Notably, as per the report from Cricket Pakistan, the main reason for the rift was the push from Mohammad Rizwan to include Khushdil Shah in the final 15-member squad of Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, while Aaqib Javed wanted Faheem Ashraf. Ultimately, both the players were drafted into the Pakistan squad for the tournament, and while Ashraf didn’t get a game, Shah did play a couple of exceptional innings against New Zealand and arch-rivals India.
Aqib Javed went ahead and selected Faheem Ashraf on his own: Sources
The source mentioned in the report was quoted as saying about the contentious matter in regards to the Pakistan cricket team, “Mohammad Rizwan appeared frustrated due to a lack of consultation on key decisions. When he advocated for the inclusion of Khushdil Shah, Aqib Javed went ahead and selected Faheem Ashraf on his own. The selection committee and Mohammad Rizwan were clearly not on the same page.”
After losing by a big margin against New Zealand and India, the Pakistan cricket team were eliminated from the race for a spot in the semi-finals from Group A of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Earlier today, the final group stage match of the Men in Green against Bangladesh got washed out without a ball being bowled at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, which meant that they finished in bottom place in Group A without registering a single win in the tournament.
Next month, Pakistan cricket team are slated to tour New Zealand for a five-match T20I and a three-match ODI series next month after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy.
