3 major concerns for Pakistan ahead of Champions Trophy 2025 ft. Babar Azam

Hosts Pakistan come into the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on the back of a heavy defeat they incurred at the hands of unassuming New Zealand in the final of the Pakistan ODI tri-series on Friday, February 14. Batting first in Karachi, Pakistan were bowled out for 242, which the Kiwis chased down with five wickets in hand.

The Shaheens will be deeply concerned about their recent form notwithstanding the fact that they made it to the final of the tri-series by beating an inexperienced South Africa. Their management will know that they have a lot of gaps to plug to make sure that they do not fall apart in the eight-nation tournament.

Pakistan, who are also the defending champions of this competition (having won its last edition in 2017), will have to play for more than just pride in this edition since they will have their supporters backing them everywhere. Placed alongside New Zealand, Bangladesh and bitter foes India in Group A, the hosts will not have an easy time negotiating their way into the playoffs.

In this listicle, we take a look at three major concerns for Pakistan ahead of the tournament:

#3 Unstable and unsettled pace bowling unit

Pakistan's bowling unit, helmed by Shaheen Afridi, seems to be a tad undercooked going into the tournament as it does not have too many players carrying the load besides their former captain. Afridi is partnered by Naseem Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Muhammad Hasnain, and newbie Akif Javed, and none of them seem to be in good form.

While Shah picked up just three wickets by conceding 181 runs in the Pakistan ODI tri-series, Ashraf played one match and went wicketless. Javed is yet to make his international debut while Afridi himself had expensive returns of 3-88, 2-66 and 1-45 in three matches. Muhammad Hasnain too went wicketless.

Pakistan will admit that the injury incurred by Haris Rauf in the first ODI of the tri-series has dealt them a big blow. However, Afridi's unstable form, especially since he is considered to be an experienced member of the side now, is worrying. He will have to rally those around him to put up stirring showings in this tournament and resurrect Pakistan's fallen glory in white-ball cricket.

#2 Inconsistency at number three

Saud Shakeel has not been in the best of form for Pakistan.

Pakistan, who tried playing Saud Shakeel at number three in the tri-series, will now be thinking twice about his credentials. The southpaw contributed scores of just 15 and 8 in the two matches he turned out for them, while Kamran Ghulam, who was asked to bat at that position in the first game in Lahore, contributed 18.

It seems as if the hosts are still not sure whom to back in the number three spot. With Babar Azam expected to open the innings with Fakhar Zaman (who has endured a good run of form with two half-centuries in his last three ODIs) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan preferring number four, the number three spot - often considered to be the most important one in cricket - seems contentious for them.

#1 Babar Azam's rough patch with the bat

Pakistan will be deeply concerned about the rough patch their star batter Babar Azam is going through at the moment. Azam, who has been their predominant batter across all formats ever since he emerged into the international scene in 2015, seems to be finding the going tough, with most bowlers getting the better of him.

In the three innings that he played in the Pakistan ODI tri-series, he notched up scores of 10, 23 and 29. This signals towards the fact that he is getting starts but is not able to convert them into big scores. It is worth noting that Azam last crossed 50 in an ODI in December 2024.

However, with him expected to open the innings in the Champions Trophy, one can hope that things soon turn in favor of the hosts. He will face the new ball and expose himself to the fielding restrictions, which might allow his stroke making to flourish. Every failure of Azam's may be pushing him closer to his next big innings.