“Play with same intensity as you would play Australia” - Ex-Pakistan captain’s advice for titleholders ahead of Indo-Pak Champions Trophy 2025 clash

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has backed the reigning champions ahead of the high-voltage Indo-Pak clash in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on February 23. The 37-year-old has asked the Men in Green to block outside noise while pointing out similarities between him and reigning skipper Mohammad Rizwan.

Notably, Rizwan has led Pakistan to three consecutive ODI series wins against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. They next face New Zealand in the tri-series final.

Sarfaraz Ahmed told the ICC:

“Whenever we meet, it is a special occasion and there is so much hype and pressure around it. But as players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out, and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team.”

“The captain, Mohammad Rizwan, is also a wicketkeeper-batter, which worked pretty well for me back in 2017!” he added.

Sarfaraz further showered his praise on Pakistan speedsters Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. He said:

“With the ball, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are brilliant bowlers and are playing well.”

“Good chance of defending that title” – Sarfaraz Ahmed stresses the importance of star batters in Champions Trophy

Sarfaraz Ahmed further added that Pakistan are now a way better team than in 2017 with experienced players like Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman, who smashed a century in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. He said:

“Pakistan have a really good chance of defending that title and I think they have a strong team. Some of the boys from 2017 are still there and we’re talking about some of the best – especially Babar Azam.”

“He is a different Babar to the one that played in 2017, a more mature player and a dominant player in the game. His batting will be so important for Pakistan and so will Fakhar Zaman’s,” he added.

Sarfaraz further reminisced Pakistan’s victory in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. He credited the team for turning things around by winning all matches after losing their opening game against India in the previous edition. He said:

“Some of our senior guys – Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez – all said their piece. You need those types of characters around you. We changed our mindset from that day. The acrimony was very good for us, we made a couple of changes to the team and it helped our confidence.”

“We played England in the semi-finals and our bowlers were just superb, Then, it was India in the final. I was just confident our level was very high and my message to the players ahead of the final was to relax. We knew we had beaten some of the best teams, so India was nothing we had not seen. The rest is history,” he added.

In the 2017 Champions Trophy final, Zaman and Babar scored 114 and 46 against India, respectively. The Men in Green won the match by 180 runs to lift their maiden trophy in the 50-over tournament. As a result, both Sarfaraz Ahmed and Pakistan registered their names in history.