[PICTURE/VIDEO] ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan announce 15-member squad

[RidiculousMan]

oops i got avges mixed up lol That looks totally different now

Real all rounder is Naseem Shah with a batting average of 42.5

 

[Rana]

I wonder what are the views regarding Faheem Ashraf @Rana

He is a better batsman than Rizwan the tailender to say the least

 

[Kianig89]

Fakhar
Rizwan
Babar
Saud
TT
KG
Agha
Khusdil
SSA
Naseem
Rauf

 

[Slim]

Faheem batting average is 10 while bowling average is 46.

I had to do a double take as well, hes an example of a below galli mohalla level player making it to internationals based on sifarish and parchi. Lanat on PMLN government.

 

[Kianig89]

T

He is a better batsman than Rizwan the tailender to say the least

Thats professional dishonesty from you, Faheem averages 10 with bat

 

[Rana]

T
Thats professional dishonesty from you, Faheem averages 10 with bat

Why are you asking for my opinion and then claiming I am being professionally dishonest when I state it?

Paagal tou nahi ho?

 

[Hyder]

If i had to choose between jamal and faheem honestly i d choose faheem but none of them makes it to the xi.
Khushdil does. He is better suited for 6 7 than tayyab tahir or irfan

 

[Kianig89]

Why are you asking for my opinion and then claiming I am being professionally dishonest when I state it?

Paagal tou nahi ho?

10 ki average and a better player, supreme lunacy

 

[Rana]

10 ki average and a better player, supreme lunacy

Rizwan’s average makes him better than Lara?

 

[Kianig89]

Rizwan’s average makes him better than Lara?

Who claimed this another bogus supposition

 

[Rana]

Who claimed this another bogus supposition

Why don’t you go ahead and claim it. What’s stopping you?

 

[Kianig89]

Why don’t you go ahead and claim it. What’s stopping you?

Thank fully I watched Lara in late 90s to not support just absurd analogies.

However your assumption of Faheem better batsman than Rizwan warrants explanation and introspection

 

[Rana]

Thank fully I watched Lara in late 90s to not support just absurd analogies.

However your assumption of Faheem better batsman than Rizwan warrants explanation and introspection

I warrant no explanation to some joker here who said Jahandad should replace Shan Masood in Tests whilst also making ridiculous claims about Saim Ayub too in his struggling phase.

First introspect yourself and how far off your own reading of the game is, then maybe I’ll start taking you seriously. No more discussion on this subject with you.

 

[Slim]

In many ways, Babar is Pakistan's most important batter. Because if he scores big than that sets up the innings beautifully for Pakistan and others can bat around him. Yes he has been out of form for quite some time but he still averages close to 57 in ODI cricket and has 19 centuries to his name. I'm not sure if exposing him to the new-ball is a good idea.

I dont think Babar is Pakistan’s most important batter. Fakhar, Ghulam are more important as they can win you a match. Babar will just play his regular stat padding inning which he struggles to play nowadays. Not sure why you keep on trying to portray Babar as saviour of Pakistan in ODI cricket quoting his inflated average when he has barely any match winning innings.

 

[Slim]

Yeah, the guy who averages nearly 57 in ODI cricket should move out of his preferred position to make room for a guy who recently smashed 63 off 32 coming in at No.6.

Do you even watch cricket?

Averages 57 after playing against C/D sides? You sound like a Misbah fan, idk if you actually are. They used to use such rubbish logic as well to place Umar Akmal in the slogger spot ruining that cricketer’s career.

 

[Kianig89]

I warrant no explanation to some joker here who said Jahandad should replace Shan Masood in Tests whilst also making ridiculous claims about Saim Ayub too in his struggling phase.

First introspect yourself and how far off your own reading of the game is, then maybe I’ll start taking you seriously. No more discussion on this subject with you.

The circus show which you put on has no boundaries ,

 

[khyberlion]

.

Averages 57 after playing against C/D sides? You sound like a Misbah fan, idk if you actually are. They used to use such rubbish logic as well to place Umar Akmal in the slogger spot ruining that cricketer’s career.

Babar averages 50+ in world cups. I guess they are against C / D teams as well?

 

[Rana]

The circus show which you put on has no boundaries ,

What can I do? My country is lead by a circus clown with lipstick who can’t bat on one side of the wicket.

 

[Slim]

.
Babar averages 50+ in world cups. I guess they are against C / D teams as well?

Against which teams and did we win the match? How many MOTMs does Babar have in ODI cricket against top 6 teams?

I have never questioned his stat padding skills.

 

[khyberlion]

Against which teams and did we win the match? How many MOTMs does Babar have in ODI cricket against top 6 teams?

I have never questioned his stat padding skills.

You said it's against C and D teams. Now when presented with his average in WC you have taken another turn.

 

[Slim]

You said it's against C and D teams. Now when presented with his average in WC you have taken another turn.

I have not taken any turn, i asked you to give me a breakdown of his worldcup average team by team. And i added few more questions to further solidify my point. The point being that Babar is not the most important player as he is not a match winner.

 

[Kianig89]

Have you watched these games , Saim struggled till the Aus tour , but you continue to blow your trumpeter

 

[Rana]

I have not taken any turn, i asked you to give me a breakdown of his worldcup average team by team. And i added few more questions to further solidify my point. The point being that Babar is not the most important player as he is not a match winner.

Babar averaged 60 odd in a World Cup where Shakib averaged 80 with 200 more runs than Babar. Who cares though? Both Pakistan and Bangladesh flopped in the tournament. Since when did those individual efforts by these players come to the avail of their country?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Averages 57 after playing against C/D sides? You sound like a Misbah fan, idk if you actually are. They used to use such rubbish logic as well to place Umar Akmal in the slogger spot ruining that cricketer’s career.

You can tell how well someone understands when they try to shoehorn Misbah into every argument

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I dont think Babar is Pakistan’s most important batter. Fakhar, Ghulam are more important as they can win you a match. Babar will just play his regular stat padding inning which he struggles to play nowadays. Not sure why you keep on trying to portray Babar as saviour of Pakistan in ODI cricket quoting his inflated average when he has barely any match winning innings.

If you've been living under a rock for the last few years than that's not my problem. He is one of the best batsman in the world in ODI cricket. And has been quite some time. Acting like a little troll and saying Ghulam who averages like 30 is more important than him is too laughable to be even taken seriously. But then again that applies to alot of your opinions on cricket.

 

[moghul]

You can view who voted by clicking the View Results and then the number next to each option.

Yes, the lonely person who is happy with this selection has been a Fahim Ashraf fan , not sure why, like we have one Misbah fan here.

 

[mominsaigol]

I warrant no explanation to some joker here who said Jahandad should replace Shan Masood in Tests whilst also making ridiculous claims about Saim Ayub too in his struggling phase.

First introspect yourself and how far off your own reading of the game is, then maybe I’ll start taking you seriously. No more discussion on this subject with you.

I warrant no explanation to some joker here who said Jahandad should replace Shan Masood in Tests

@Kianig89 ^^ Did you honestly say this . Khushdil avg 26 in fc even though he has typically come in on flat tracks with the old ball in play which is very easy to play in tests.

Tests are typically brutal from overs 1 to 60. 60 to 80 is typically the easy period before the new ball shows up.

Khushdil avg 26 against that vs Shan Avg 30 to 37 with the new ball is different.

Ik Shan is medicore but this is outright madness? What's next, aamer jamal as test opener .

 

[mominsaigol]

Babar averaged 60 odd in a World Cup where Shakib averaged 80 with 200 more runs than Babar. Who cares though? Both Pakistan and Bangladesh flopped in the tournament. Since when did those individual efforts by these players come to the avail of their country?

Tbf, 2019 was babar's best ever performance in that cup. He did pretty well.

The issue with Babar type of players are that if their in form, They'll only succeed if the team succeeds and they'll fail if the team fails.

If their out of form them their useless.

Thats why people respect Travis head, Fakhar and these types of players. Their considered the X factor for their teams. They dont need saviours, They are the saviours lol.

 

[mominsaigol]

@shaz619 @Rana

If sarfi and mickey were still around and we never had injury and mismangment by incompetent pcb, We could have had a killer team

1) Fakhar Zaman
2) Saim Ayub
3) Babar Azam
4) Saud Shakeel
5) Haris Sohail
6) Imad Wasim
7) Sarfraz Ahmed
8) Sajid Khan
9) Shaheen
10) Ihsanullah
11) Amir

^^ This could have been a killer team for pakistan if mismanagement didn't exist and if sarfaraz was still around and in charge.

Cause you have 2 aggressive openers followed by 2 food accumulators, followed by an aggressive no 5, and 2 make shift batters who can adjust anywhere and sajid who can slog a few and has a 37 avg in List A and 3 top class bowlers.

^^ See how much of a difference it makes when you remove your rizwan's, Abdullah's, Imam's, Chacha's, Hurraira's, Hasebullah's, Shadab's, Nawaz's, Usama Mir's, etc etc from your squad.

^^ This could have been a great team for 2023 world cup and possibly may have gone to 2025 although not sure about sarfi's age.

 

[Rana]

I warrant no explanation to some joker here who said Jahandad should replace Shan Masood in Tests

@Kianig89 ^^ Did you honestly say this . Khushdil avg 26 in fc even though he has typically come in on flat tracks with the old ball in play which is very easy to play in tests.

Tests are typically brutal from overs 1 to 60. 60 to 80 is typically the easy period before the new ball shows up.

Khushdil avg 26 against that vs Shan Avg 30 to 37 with the new ball is different.

Ik Shan is medicore but this is outright madness? What's next, aamer jamal as test opener .

Aamer Jamaal and Khushdil Shah openers. Perfect charge for each other

 

[mominsaigol]

Aamer Jamaal and Khushdil Shah openers. Perfect charge for each other

@Kianig89 test squad probably looks like this

1) Khushdil Shah
2) Imam ul Haq
3) Abdullah Shafique
4) Babar Azam
5) Rizwan
6) Salman Ali Agha
7) Aamer Jamal
8) shaheen
9) Naseem
10) Hamza
11) Ali

^^

 

[Rana]

@Kianig89 test squad probably looks like this

1) Khushdil Shah
2) Imam ul Haq
3) Abdullah Shafique
4) Babar Azam
5) Rizwan
6) Salman Ali Agha
7) Aamer Jamal
8) shaheen
9) Naseem
10) Hamza
11) Ali

^^

On the match thread when Babar comes to bat:

“Pakistan’s biggest player is now at the crease”

Hyping him up as if Undertaker has arrived for a WM match

 

[AZulfi]

What has Faheem Ashraf done recently to deserve a comeback?

I would have picked Siraj as the second spinner. He can bat a bit as well.

 

[Slim]

What has Faheem Ashraf done recently to deserve a comeback?

I would have picked Siraj as the second spinner. He can bat a bit as well.

This post is trippy.

 

[Rana]

What has Faheem Ashraf done recently to deserve a comeback?

I would have picked Siraj as the second spinner. He can bat a bit as well.

I would pick Jahandad as an opener instead of Shan

 

[AZulfi]

Haris Rauf takes wickets in the middle overs but also goes for plenty. On a good day, will easily go for 90-100 runs in his 10 over. Yes I know I am exaggerating a bit. Pace alone is not enough.

The captain must have a back up plan for him..

 

[Rana]

Who’s going to field at point?

Pakistan had Shadab, Imam and Saim in this position

All 3 unavailable. So they might have to play Khushdil or Fakhar here? The batters selected (besides Tayyab maybe) are ok fielders, nothing special

 

[mominsaigol]

On the match thread when Babar comes to bat:

“Pakistan’s biggest player is now at the crease”

Hyping him up as if Undertaker has arrived for a WM match

Pakistani fans don't understand that your most consistent player is not your best. Travis head is no where near as consistent Steve smith(in odi, not test), but he's 100x more dangerous then a prime Steve smith could ever be in odi.

Babar being more consistent then fakhar does not entail that he's a better batsmen.

Plus unless injury affects saim in a big way, Saim will likely be more consistent then Babar anyway? He seems to be that type of player by default in odi atleast.

Infact I believe saim ayub has already played 3 knocks that > Bobby's entire odi career which include

A) Smacking the daylights out of starc, hazlewood and Cummins in their own bilo bounce den.

B) scoring a 53 ball 100 and proving the concept of minnow bashing

C) Butchering full strength Sa in their own den.

^^ These 3 performances are >>>> Babar's entire odi career with bobby best ever innings being 101 of 122 against NZ lol.

 

[khyberlion]

I have not taken any turn, i asked you to give me a breakdown of his worldcup average team by team. And i added few more questions to further solidify my point. The point being that Babar is not the most important player as he is not a match winner.

You clearly did by saying he's scored against C and D attacks. When proven wrong you diverted to match winning, man of the match etc.

 

[Slim]

You clearly did by saying he's scored against C and D attacks. When proven wrong you diverted to match winning, man of the match etc.

Sigh. Let me ask you something more simpler, there is a poster who posted Shakib was averaging more than Babar in the worldcup so do you agree that Shakib is a better batsman than Babar?

 

[khyberlion]

Sigh. Let me ask you something more simpler, there is a poster who posted Shakib was averaging more than Babar in the worldcup so do you agree that Shakib is a better batsman than Babar?

Again you missed the point. You claimed his average is against C and D teams. Not who's better or his man of the matches. With each post you are diverting this from your initial post.

 

[Slim]

Again you missed the point. You claimed his average is against C and D teams. Not who's better or his man of the matches. With each post you are diverting this from your initial post.

His overall cricketing average is against C and D teams. Thats a fact. I never specified if it was his world cup average. It was you who brought it up as being world cup specific.

I dont know which kind of teams he built those average against in world cups, upon which i asked you to give me the break down.

I also added additional points to support my original point of him being not the most important player as hes not a match winner.

This is the last time i am going to try to explain this. Idk if you have comprehension issues or if you are deliberately trying to avoid answering my questions as you know it will expose the third class player Babar.

 

[Slim]

If you've been living under a rock for the last few years than that's not my problem. He is one of the best batsman in the world in ODI cricket. And has been quite some time. Acting like a little troll and saying Ghulam who averages like 30 is more important than him is too laughable to be even taken seriously. But then again that applies to alot of your opinions on cricket.

Best batsman in ODI cricket on what metric? Based on his match winning innings, MOTMs? What metric?

I did not go personal with you and only criticised the opinions i disagree with. And have liked your posts where i agree with your opinion. But seems like you are incapable of having that level of discussion and decency. Look in the mirror before you call anyone a troll, right now you sound like a Babar-tard.

 

[khyberlion]

His overall cricketing average is against C and D teams. Thats a fact. I never specified if it was his world cup average. It was you who brought it up as being world cup specific.

I dont know which kind of teams he built those average against in world cups, upon which i asked you to give me the break down.

I also added additional points to support my original point of him being not the most important player as hes not a match winner.

This is the last time i am going to try to explain this. Idk if you have comprehension issues or if you are deliberately trying to avoid answering my questions as you know it will expose the third class player Babar.

Another post which doesn't answer anything. 3rd class Babar has the highest average for Pakistan in WC.

I thought you with come with some logic and be a bit more fair in your assessment. He's played 2 innings against each of the teams in the WC. you want to base your judgement on that. If you want to a quick Google search will help you to know about his scores against each opposition.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Against which teams and did we win the match? How many MOTMs does Babar have in ODI cricket against top 6 teams?

6.

2 vs New Zealand, 2 vs South Africa and 2 vs Australia

 

[Aviator]

Khushdil shah will cry again... Hope the crowd ensure he does...

 

[mominsaigol]

6.

2 vs New Zealand, 2 vs South Africa and 2 vs Australia

1 mom was vs C side NZ in pindi in the 4th odi of 2023. I remember it clearly. That NZ side was rubbish.

I don't recall the other 2 but I'm 100% certain the aus game was 2019 probably against c side Aus in pindi.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

 

[mominsaigol]

In many ways, Babar is Pakistan's most important batter. Because if he scores big than that sets up the innings beautifully for Pakistan and others can bat around him. Yes he has been out of form for quite some time but he still averages close to 57 in ODI cricket and has 19 centuries to his name. I'm not sure if exposing him to the new-ball is a good idea.

Somewhat disagree. I believe he should bat at no 3 and I advocate saud for opening but babar has like 2 or 3 games as an opener. It's a small sample size.

He's a good player vs pace. Infact in odi he typically struggles when spin is on.

Having babar right off the bat with only 2 fielders in the inner ring to play pace wouldn't be a bad idea and is worth trying before CT.

But if they go for saud and babar at 3 I wouldn't mind.

Babar's accumulative scores with fakhar Zaman's bashing have won Pakistan multiple games in the past.

 

[PakFan2010]

Pakistan are in for a rude awakening.

Flat pitches and their batting line up contains the likes of Babar, Rizwan, Shakeel and Ghulam.

 

[mesmerizer85]

Did the selectors wanted to have a balance between right & left hand batters which is why they went with this team?

LHB:

Fakhar Zaman
Saud Shakeel
Faheem Ashraf
Khushdil Shah
Shaheen Shah Afridi

RHB:

Babar
Rizwan
Kamran Ghulam
Arbab
Haris
Hasnain/Naseem

 

[mesmerizer85]

Left right partners in sequence:

Fakhar
Babar
Rizwan
Saud
Kamran
Faheem
Khushdil
Haris
Shaheen
Hasnain
Arbab

 

[ads101]

Decent squad except one issue. Usman deserves his selection, I’m not sure why people are up in arms, he has been the best batsman in domestic cricket in recent times. Faheem I’m not a big fan but if you have to pick a fast bowling allrounder, we’re not stacked for choices and in domestic and PSL, Faheem is usually the top performing. Same with Khushadil, I get why he’s selected as in terms of spin allrounders if we’re not going back to Shadab and Imad, there’s not too many options. And khushadil has ability to score fast. I think none of these will end up playing anyway.

Saud and tahir coming back are positives.

The biggest issue is one spinner. If abrar has a bad tournament or there are pitches where we need a 2nd spinner, we could be in trouble.

 

[moghul]

I'm not the most well informed person as far as Pakistan's domestic cricket is concerned , but would ask a question . Is Amad Butt any good as the bowling allrounder ? Guy has been playing and domestic cricket for almost a decade .

 

[BouncerGuy]

I'm not the most well informed person as far as Pakistan's domestic cricket is concerned , but would ask a question . Is Amad Butt any good as the bowling allrounder ? Guy has been playing and domestic cricket for almost a decade .

Forget Amad for a sec and talk about Abbas and Jahandad who were i the system and played the last few series as well but they are nowhere to be discussed and instead, PCB brought back an already misfired bullet Faheem.. Is this a joke?

 

[moghul]

Forget Amad for a sec and talk about Abbas and Jahandad who were i the system and played the last few series as well but they are nowhere to be discussed and instead, PCB brought back an already misfired bullet Faheem.. Is this a joke?

Abbas is too slow and Jahandad looks malnourished skinny lad , but anyone including Jahandad would be better than Faheem Parchi.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Abbas is too slow and Jahandad looks malnourished skinny lad , but anyone including Jahandad would be better than Faheem Parchi.

Abbas is not slow. He can bowl around 140 click and has a great slower ones also and he can also bat a bit.. But faheem??? HOW??? WHY???

 

[W63L35]

Faheem Ashraf - bowling in last 20 ODIs.
4 wickets at an average of 104.75





Faheem Ashraf - batting in last 20 ODIs.
120 runs at an average of 8.92



Real reason for the selection:

 

[W63L35]

Mind boggling, cumulative number of ODI matches played by CT squad of following teams:

Pakistan 532
India 1446
Australia 1148

*Kohli and Sharma alone has played more matches than entire Pakistan squad (560)

View attachment 150301

Listen to one of the selectors... (Asad Shafiq)... he is saying they have selected experienced players.

 

[iRfaN_LA]

Usman and Faheem are terrible selections. Khushdil is also questionable. Rest looks OK.

Probably should have added another proper spinner.

Usman has not performed in any game
at international level. Guy destroyed his career with UAE. Would have been much better there.

Faheem is a mystery case, no idea how he keeps getting selected. He is a non performer, a weak player, no pace, unreliable batting.

Khushdil is selected based on BPL t20 joke league performances. Guy won't last at all.

 

[iRfaN_LA]

Abbas would have been much better option compared to Faheem parchi

 

[Kianig89]

Rashid Latif left stunned at CT selection

Surprised that Sufyan & Irfan Niazi dropped from ODIS

Also considers Usman Khan selection as outsider akin to Imad & Amir selection in Wt20 squad.

Also there is political selection as evident by a certain players

 

[zaidihusain]

It's really frustrating to see players like Faheem, Khushdil, Usman Khan are selected for CT

Faheem: Played 34 ODIs with highest score of 28 and 26 wickets. No match winning performance in entire ODI career
Khushdil: Played 10 ODIs with highest score of 41 and only 2 wickets. No match winning performance
Usman Khan: Never played ODI
Tayyab Tahir: Played 3 ODIs with highest score of 29

None of these players were there in last 3 ODI series except TT who just played 2 ODIs, there is no reason to include them for such a big event. Abdullah Shafiq has been unfairly dropped after just 1 bad series against SA, he might have been better in local conditions.

Selectors have once again taken a gamble with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain. Yes, they performed well last 2-3 ODIs series in Aus & SA but in home conditions I don't think they will be that effective. Another specialist spinner must have been there.​

 

[Major]

Decent squad except one issue. Usman deserves his selection, I’m not sure why people are up in arms, he has been the best batsman in domestic cricket in recent times. Faheem I’m not a big fan but if you have to pick a fast bowling allrounder, we’re not stacked for choices and in domestic and PSL, Faheem is usually the top performing. Same with Khushadil, I get why he’s selected as in terms of spin allrounders if we’re not going back to Shadab and Imad, there’s not too many options. And khushadil has ability to score fast. I think none of these will end up playing anyway.

Saud and tahir coming back are positives.

The biggest issue is one spinner. If abrar has a bad tournament or there are pitches where we need a 2nd spinner, we could be in trouble.

Usman has been terrible in t20 cricket. His game play is non existent. If you want to give him an odi debut, they should had given him that during the recent tours we had with South Africa or Zimbabwe.
Faheem is not a top performer.

we had the option of Jahandad.

Khushdil is a leg side hack.

Thing is, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah and Saud Shakeel are not that good batsman. You can take Kamran or Tayyab, but you cannot keep all 4 in the squad. Saud Shakeel is just garbage, he cant handle pressure.

This is World t20 2024 all over again, when they decided to add fixer and imad in the squad. Ended up losing to USA and India cause of those two.

 

[kingusama92]

The squad as a whole is as expected but let's take a look at the contentious selections one by one...

Usman Khan - He deserves his spot on merit (topped the run charts at the List A level in 2024 averaging 54+). However, I still don't see him as being useful in the XI but there's valid reasoning behind his selection.

Khushdil Shah - He's a power hitter in form (but wrong format). He's the second-best power hitter in List A cricket after Irfan Niazi BUT he can also bowl which was important after Saim's injury. I'm guessing they thought that was essential to balance the team and give Rizwan another bowling option. Plus it keeps Shadab out.

Faheem Ashraf - There's no justification for this other than him having experience being trash internationally. Plus Jahandad had better all-rounder numbers in 2024 if they wanted someone other than Aamer Jamal. The guy must have serious friends higher up the food chain to get a spot.

No second spinner - This was seriously dumb. Should have dropped one of the batsmen and picked a second spinner (whoever you like), especially with at least one game in Dubai. Firstly, Abrar is not a prime Murali who can do no wrong AND some conditions require a second spinner other than part-timers like Agha/Khushdil.

No second opener - Pretty silly too. Now they have to put a batsman out of position in that slot whether it's Babar, Saud, or Rizwan. Should have picked any specialist opener they felt was best (i.e. Haseebullah, Shan) and then left the door open to moving Babar/Rizwan up if things didn't look good in the tri-series.

In the end, it's still a good squad but they made a few unforced blunders and then not even sure what to call the selection of Faheem Ashraf.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Rashid Latif speaking during an interview:

"It seems a political selection. Faheem has no recent performance to warrant a selection, and his record isn't impressive."

"This squad includes players like Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, and Saud Shakeel, who were not part of the system on the last three tours. Now, it is up to captain Mohammad Rizwan to select the best XI, just as Imran Khan did in 1992 and Younis Khan in 2009.”

"I think Babar will be useful as an opener, but the main issue is who will take wickets in the 11-20 and 31-40 over phases. That has been Pakistan’s weakness, as we suffered in the 2023 World Cup in those areas."

 

[BouncerGuy]

Hina Munawar appointed first female manager for Pakistan men's cricket team

Hina Munawar, a police officer with a strong background in security and operations, has been named as the first female team manager for the Pakistan men’s cricket team ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Munawar, who has served in the Frontier Constabulary in the high-risk Swat area, has been appointed as the Operations Manager for Pakistan's Tri-Nation series and the Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19 in Karachi.

While senior retired bureaucrat Naveed Akram Cheema will continue as team manager, Munawar’s appointment has sparked curiosity amongst cricket fans, experts, and the media.

After passing the Civil Superior Services exam, Munawar transitioned into various law enforcement and security roles.

"Perhaps her appointment is aimed at streamlining operations within the team and between players and the board, as she has worked in strategic and leadership roles, helping to streamline various operations,” said a source close to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Munawar, who joined the PCB last year, was also appointed manager of the Pakistan women's under-19 team for the Asia Cup.

“She made history as the first female district officer in the Frontier Constabulary in Swat, breaking gender barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field,” the source added.

It is understood that PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi brought Munawar onto the board on deputation, as she remains part of the Police Service of Pakistan.

The PCB aims to streamline team management and create a more organised and efficient environment, with her appointment bringing fresh perspectives to the traditionally coaching-focused and male-dominated setup.

INDIA TODAY

 

[Kianig89]

So there is a female team manager, and then there is a team Manager. Ms Munawar & Mr Cheema respectively.

Seems accommodation from PCB due to outside pressure

 

[pratiktc]

Yes the squad has flaws but these are realities of Pak white ball shortcomings. Likes of Abbas and Irfan over Faheem/Khusdil is not really a terribly different selection. They are similiar players with similiar ceilings in terms of how they can impact a game.

Now that team is out, nothing to do but back it and hope for best. PCT still needs 2 of their big 3 batters to come to party and Shaheen/Naseem to bring some fire in PP in each big game and then the rest of the guys can catch fire. This can easily happen if team gets on a roll.

 

[Mercurial]

I would have preferred Shadab over Abrar as he can bat and field well and is a better bowler. I don’t know why they ignored Shadab? And either Imam or Sahibzada Farhan should have been there too in place of Usman Khan as both can keep wickets. I would have preferred Hasan Ali over Hasnain. Overall not a bad squad looking at the options in domestic cricket but I think this team is going to miss a good spinner. Shadab will be missed. Abrar is just not good enough.

 

[AZulfi]

Usman, Fahim and Khushdil are terrible choices. What on earth were the selectors smoking?

Just hope that it is not another Friendship XI!

Kushdil is another brain-dead hack (Afridi-esque)

 

[Rana]

Usman, Fahim and Khushdil are terrible choices. What on earth were the selectors smoking?

Just hope that it is not another Friendship XI!

Kushdil is another brain-dead hack (Afridi-esque)

Who’s friends with who?

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

Usman, Fahim and Khushdil are terrible choices. What on earth were the selectors smoking?

Just hope that it is not another Friendship XI!

Kushdil is another brain-dead hack (Afridi-esque)

Do you guys ever get happy criticize india who have selected 4 spinners or have a look at australia who will be playing only zampa with their fast bowlers they will win it pak got the same formula

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

I mean you look at pakistan squad only one spinner and then you look at india 4 spinners are selected i think pak wants to adopt australian formula who only play zampa as a spinner irrespective of conditions thats what i see with pakistan as well.

 

[Rana]

I mean you look at pakistan squad only one spinner and then you look at india 4 spinners are selected i think pak wants to adopt australian formula who only play zampa as a spinner irrespective of conditions thats what i see with pakistan as well.

India picked one specialist spinner

The other guys are decent spinners who bat as well.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

The team that won series against Aus and SA is now dumped to accommodate Rizwan’s chamchas

This is the reason Pak reel under the carpet in the intl cricket.
Players like Shafique needs to be retained in the Squad , 5 bad games and it will be now very difficult for him to get back into the 11.

Big problem with Pak is they back rubbish players like Ifthikar , Asif Ali , Danish Aziz , Khusdil shah makes comeback now on Rizwan’s quota but throw good players under the bus for few bad games and never let them comeback fearing their own position

Faheem , Khusdil, Usman khan , sneak in to the squad through Rizwan back door.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Irfan khan had a good intl outing , converted so many half chances into catches. Catches won matches.

And batting technique was also good even in bouncy and pacy pitches of Aus and Sa

Now he is dumped for Rizwan’s friends to come in, I’m sure they will embarrass themselves in their own backyard

 

[Rana]

Irfan khan had a good intl outing , converted so many half chances into catches. Catches won matches.

And batting technique was also good even in bouncy and pacy pitches of Aus and Sa

Now he is dumped for Rizwan’s friends to come in, I’m sure they will embarrass themselves in their own backyard

Rizwan probably sulking he has to deal with Tayyab or Salman instead of Iftikhar

 

[AZulfi]

I mean you look at pakistan squad only one spinner and then you look at india 4 spinners are selected i think pak wants to adopt australian formula who only play zampa as a spinner irrespective of conditions thats what i see with pakistan as well.

It is not about spinners.

I do not see any merit in these three selections.

Some out of the box thinking was required by including the likes of Siraj. I would have also persisted with Shafiq even though he had a shocker in RSA. Going back to the same mediocre players is not going to help the team.

 

[ads101]

Usman has been terrible in t20 cricket. His game play is non existent. If you want to give him an odi debut, they should had given him that during the recent tours we had with South Africa or Zimbabwe.
Faheem is not a top performer.

we had the option of Jahandad.

Khushdil is a leg side hack.

Thing is, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah and Saud Shakeel are not that good batsman. You can take Kamran or Tayyab, but you cannot keep all 4 in the squad. Saud Shakeel is just garbage, he cant handle pressure.

This is World t20 2024 all over again, when they decided to add fixer and imad in the squad. Ended up losing to USA and India cause of those two.

We don’t really have a settled team. Not much we can do. You’re right Kamran is doing badly of late but he’s going to play. I think it was a mistake to drop Saud in the first place, and no surprise he’s back now.

Faheem is top performer if we look at who has done it for a large number of years. Especially PSL, he has been the best fast bowling allrounder of the last 5 years there. It’s a tournament, and management will be nervous trying to rely on inexperienced guys.

I think it’s a good idea to have the best domestic performer. So I don’t really care what flaws Usman has, I think it’s good he’s in the squad. And he hasn’t even been given a settled position. He absolutely excelled in PSL and champions. The others should outperform him first.

I would have picked Shadab instead of Khushdil. But I suspect they’re trying to show Shadab a message to stay in domestic and improve than just being recalled.

Really squads for these tournaments should be the same as the squads for the last few series. You shouldn’t really be changing around much when tournament starts. But again because of the whole situation with fakhar being randomly out, Saim injured etc. we are a bit in this position.

I think we’re just way too quick to chop and change in general. Cricketers keep getting picked, recalled, shuffled around.
Players need to get long runs in settled positions. And when they are dropped they need to do something monumental, really forcing their place through domestic. Just feels we just go in circles with the same cricketers getting dropped and repicked as we never give them proper chances that we can conclude without doubt they are good or not good enough.