“Then Australia should have just stayed home” - Mohammad Amir’s scathing attack on Pakistan after IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match

Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir slammed the side for their dismal performances in the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy. The Men in Green suffered back-to-back losses to New Zealand and India to already be eliminated from semifinal contention.

Amir also took issue with skipper Mohammad Rizwan blaming Pakistan's poor showing on the absence of in-form opener Saim Ayub due to injury.

Following the crushing loss to India two days back, Rizwan said [quoted by Deccan Herald]:

"Our loss occurred when we missed out on Saim Ayub, because we had a package with Saim Ayub because of which our team had settled down. But when Saim Ayub left, our balance and our team's combination faced a big impact."

Amir reacted to Rizwan's comments by taking the example of an injury-ridden Australian side, saying [quoted by Cricket Pakistan]:

"If that’s the case, then Australia should have just stayed home too. They’re missing Starc, Marsh, and Cummins. As a leader, when you don’t have a Plan B, then what are you even doing with the team?"

Ayub was in outstanding form, helping Pakistan whitewash South Africa in South Africa in the three-match ODI series. However, he suffered an ankle injury in the final Test of the two-match series that followed the ODIs and was subsequently ruled out of the Champions Trophy.

To make matters worse, Pakistan also lost their other opener Fakhar Zaman after the opening game defeat to New Zealand due to an injury he suffered at the start of the contest. He was replaced by Imam-ul-Haq in the squad, with the left-hander opening the batting in the India clash.

"PSL should not be the criteria for national team selection" - Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir called for domestic cricket to be prioritized ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) when it came to selection in the Pakistan side. Amir also criticized the composition of the squad for the Champions Trophy and questioned persisting with the same decision-makers despite repeated failures.

"PSL should not be the criteria for national team selection. The top performers from domestic cricket should be the priority, not PSL. The people who said we don’t need spinners or proper openers should now come forward and admit their mistake. We struggled in the opening and middle overs—who is responsible for that?" Amir stated.

He added:

"The same faces keep coming back into the system despite being removed multiple times. How can you move forward like this?"

The Champions Trophy 2025 was Pakistan's third consecutive first-round exit at an ICC event. They will play for only pride in an inconsequential final game of the group stage against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Thursday, February 27.