“A bad plan is better than no plan” - Former Australia captain’s brutal criticism of Pakistan after IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has opened up on Pakistan's crushing loss to India in the Champions Trophy 2025 clash in Dubai on February 23. Clarke believes the Men in Green looked all out of sorts and seemed clueless on how to handle pressure.

Having won the toss on a decent surface, the Men in Green failed to put on a strong batting performance. The striking feature of their innings was the massive number of dot balls they played in the middle overs which stuffed the momentum. They eventually managed to post 241 runs, which was comprehensively chased down by India with six wickets in hand.

With the ball, Abrar Ahmed proved to be the only threatening prospect for the Men in Green, registering figures of 10-0-28-1.

Speaking on his podcast Beyond23, Clarke reckoned that everything about Pakistan on the day puzzled him. He also highlighted that a team cannot turn up without a plan in arguably the biggest match of the tournament.

"It's okay to have a bad plan, but a bad plan is better than no plan. Pakistan, to me, I don't know what their plan was. I don't know what their plan was with selection. I don't know their plan with how they went about the start of their innings. I don't know what their plan was against spin, which they, you know, are very good spin players. I don't know what their plan was to beat India. You can't turn up to the biggest game of the tournament. It was like a final for these two teams without a plan, and that's how it looked to me."

Pakistan had also dropped a couple of catches, with Khushdil Shah failing to hold on to a chance offered by Shubman Gill. The second opportunity came when Saud Shakeel gave Shreyas Iyer a reprieve. Both batters made useful contributions with the bat to take India closer to victory.

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"I don't think they can make the top four now" - Michael Clarke on Pakistan

Michael Clarke. (Image Credits: Getty)

Michael Clarke also expressed his surprise at how Mohammad Rizwan and company looked at sea in Dubai, given they are quite familiar with the conditions of the venue. The 43-year-old reckons Pakistan are all but out of the tournament.

"I go back to the start of the tournament, when I said that would be my biggest concern with Pakistan. It's not talent; it's not potential. They have plenty of it. But unfortunately, I think they're gone. I don't think they can make the top four now," Clarke continued.

"To me, this is probably the tournament I'm looking closer at Pakistan than any other ICC tournament. I know this game was in Dubai, but virtually, it's been their second cricketing home when they haven't been able to play inside Pakistan, so they know those conditions so well. The game against New Zealand—they just played New Zealand and South Africa in a tri-series—their preparation and form were perfect," he added.

Michael Clarke further stated that the selectors and administrators are expecting different results despite sticking to the same system and structure. He added:

"Leading into this tournament, it would only be the mind, the expectation, and that fear of failure that would set them back or let them down. And again, it's not just performance or winning and losing; it's how you're winning and how you're losing. Sometimes, as a captain, senior player, coach, or administrator, you've got to look at. If you keep making the same mistakes or expecting to, you know, pick the same 11 and get different results, play the same brand of cricket and get different results, or make the same decision to get different results, it can't happen."

Rizwan and company still have an outside chance of sneaking into the semi-finals. They will hope that Bangladesh beat New Zealand and then they beat the Bangla Tigers. India must also beat the Kiwis to keep Pakistan alive in the Champions Trophy, but it would still come down to net run-rate.