Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal vented out his frustration on Pakistan team for their poor performance in the opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025. Akmal said that Pakistan should leave the event and play a bilateral series against Zimbabwe.
Speaking on ARY news, Akmal said, "Zimbabwe aur Ireland ki series ho rahi hai, udhar jaayein. Wahan jaake khelein aur agar hum udhar jeette hain toh hum deserve karte hain (Champions Trophy). Humari iss tarah ki cricket ho rahi hai. Itni neeche gir gayi hai humari cricket pichle 6-7 saal mein,"
Kamran Akmal said "There's a series between Zimbabwe & Ireland going on. Pakistan should play against them and win against them. This team doesn't deserve to play Champions Trophy" #ChampionsTrophy2025pic.twitter.com/B6IHK09qIY
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) February 20, 2025
He praised New Zealand's batting performance even after losing early wickets. Akmal added, "They (New Zealand) were three wickets down in the early stages of the match. Look at their maturity that they took time, rotated the strike and started firing only after getting the full control. This is what a mature team does. They always come with a backup plan. Their batter Rachin Ravindra got injured and even his replacement (Will Young) scored a century,"
Pakistan to face India in Do-or-Die clash
After losing the opening match by 60 runs against New Zealand, Pakistan face arch-rivals India in their second game of the Champions Trophy 2025. The match is a must win for the defending champions following the setback in Karachi.
Given the history of the rivalry between the two cricketing giants, fans would be expecting a mouthwatering clash. Going by current form of the two teams, India start overwhelming favourites. Pakistan will enter in the match with their opener Fakhar Zaman being ruled out of the tournament due to injury. Imam Ul Haq was named the replacement