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Legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram has called for major changes as Pakistan’s white-ball struggles hit a new low with their six-wicket loss to India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 23.

Speaking on Sports Central, Akram criticised Pakistan’s outdated strategies and poor performances, urging bold decisions to rebuild the team ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

“Enough is enough. We have been playing old-fashioned cricket for too long. Now it’s time for bold steps. Bring in fearless young players into white-ball cricket. If we need to make five or six changes, do it. Even if we lose for six months, it’s fine, but we must start preparing for the future,” he said.

Akram also slammed the PCB and selectors for persisting with underperforming players instead of giving new talent a chance. He highlighted that in Pakistan’s last five ODIs, the bowlers have taken just 24 wickets at an average of 60 runs per wicket—one of the worst records among 14 international teams, including Oman and the USA.

He urged PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to question head coach Aaqib Javed, captain Mohammad Rizwan, and the selectors over their squad choices for the Champions Trophy.

The former captain also criticised Rizwan’s leadership, holding him responsible for the team’s struggles. He questioned why players like Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Agha were included despite not contributing with the ball.

“I’ve been saying for weeks that this squad isn’t good enough, but the chairman insisted it was the best. Even Rizwan is responsible—he is the captain, and if he doesn’t know what kind of match-winners he needs, the team will keep facing embarrassment,” he said.

Akram did not hold back in his criticism of Pakistan’s fast bowlers, highlighting their alarming form with hard-hitting stats.

He pointed out that Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan’s lead pacer, has struggled in recent matches.

“Shaheen Shah Afridi, our main bowler, has bowled 47 overs in the last five matches, conceding 341 runs and taking just eight wickets at an average of 43. This is not batting; I am talking about bowling.”

The former captain then turned his attention to Haris Rauf, who has also been underwhelming in recent games.

“Haris Rauf, in his last three matches, has taken just three wickets at an average of 52.”

Adding to Pakistan’s woes, Naseem Shah’s numbers were no better, further exposing the team’s weak bowling attack.

“Naseem Shah has taken five wickets in 46 overs across five ODIs, with an average of 56.”

Summing up the harsh reality of Pakistan’s bowling performance, Wasim Akram did not mince his words.

“Your three premier bowlers are averaging over 50 per wicket. You are not going to win any game, unfortunately. That statistic is horrifying. 60 percent of your bowling attack is averaging 50,” he highlighted.

Pakistan lost their first match of the tournament to New Zealand by 60 runs, whereas India defeated Greenshirts by six wickets in the second match on Sunday.

India secured a commanding six-wicket victory over Pakistan in their high-stakes ICC Champions Trophy clash on Sunday, with Virat Kohli delivering a match-winning century that all but ended Pakistan’s title defence.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Pakistan struggled to capitalise on the decision, getting bowled out for 241 runs in 49.4 overs.

Chasing 242, India’s batting remained in complete control, led by Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 100 off 111 balls. His composed innings ensured India never came under pressure, and they comfortably reached the target with six wickets in hand.

Apart from him, Shubman Gill scored 46 off 52 balls, while Shreyas Iyer contributed 56 off 67.

The match result sparked strong reactions from cricket experts, many of whom highlighted India’s superiority and Pakistan’s struggles.

Indian journalist Shekhar Gupta wrote, “On some rare day, Pakistan may beat India. But this ‘greatest rivalry in the world’ business is just desperate TV channel hype. No team with Pakistan’s ‘athleticism’ can be world-class.”

Michael Kugelman (South Asia Analyst, Wilson Center) wrote, “Pakistan is hosting a major international cricket tourney for the first time since 1996, but faced India in Dubai as India declined to travel to Pakistan. For Pakistan, it would’ve been poetic justice to beat India today—but also quite implausible. Team Green left feeling blue yet again.”

Indian cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote, “India played at a different level today, and, to be honest, it wasn’t ever a contest.”

Former India cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar wrote, “Every time we play Pakistan these days, we are reminded of the growth of Indian cricket and the decline of Pakistan cricket. Longer the format, wider the gulf.”

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari also commented on the national team’s performance, stating, “I told you, neither our bowling nor our batting is up to the mark. Neither has modern techniques. Now, world-class teams will play in the Champions Trophy. Our job is done.”

Pakistani cricket expert Saj Sadiq wrote, “It’s like Men versus Boys these days when it’s India versus Pakistan. The approach, the tactics, the preparation, and the team before individual performance ethic. It’s on a different level.”

“Too many current players representing Pakistan who are timid, afraid to show any aggression, mentally weak, literally defeated before they enter the field against stronger opposition, scared of losing their spot in the team, selfish and only concerned about their performance ahead of the team’s needs,” he further added.

Over the past week, Pakistan lost their first match of the tournament to New Zealand by 60 runs, while India defeated the Greenshirts by six wickets in the second match on Sunday.

Pakistan’s former cricket legend Inzamam Ul Haq has finally spoken up about what he said after the infamous 1999 World Cup comical runout.

During a Star Sports special show for Champions Trophy featuring Navjot Singh Sidhu, Inzamam Ul Haq, Shahid Afridi, and Yuvraj Singh, the conversation took a hilarious turn when Sidhu brought up Inzamam’s infamous runout.

The incident, which happened during the 1999 World Cup match against Australia, saw Inzamam getting run out in an unusual manner, with Wasim Akram unintentionally playing a role in his dismissal.

Sidhu, known for his witty remarks, teased Inzamam by recalling the moment, saying, “Wasim has told this story 15 times. He called you for a run; you said, ‘Yes, let’s go for two,’ but then you slipped and fell. Wasim kept running, and when you looked up, you said, ‘Wasim bhai, aap yahan kahan?’ (Wasim Bhai, why are you here?)”

The entire panel burst into laughter as Inzamam responded with a humorous explanation. “Tell me one thing—we had already decided that we had to take a run so that I could get back on strike. One batsman has fallen in front of you, and you are still running! Didn’t you see me? Were you blindfolded? What were you thinking?”

The lighthearted banter continued as Shahid Afridi and Yuvraj Singh joined in, adding their jokes about Inzamam’s history of getting run out in unusual ways.

Meanwhile, during the Pakistan vs India match on February 23, commentator Wasim Akram was asked about Imam Ul Haq’s runout in the 10th over. The dismissal, caused by Axar Patel’s direct hit, reminded many of Imam’s uncle, Inzamam Ul Haq. Akram and Sunil Gavaskar joked about how getting run out seems to “run in the Haq family.”

India outclassed Pakistan by six wickets, thanks to a brilliant century by Virat Kohli. Kohli became only the third player to score 14,000 runs in ODIs, achieving the milestone faster than anyone else.

Defending champions Pakistan have lost two of their three Champions Trophy group stage matches and currently stand at the bottom of the table with 0 points as well as a net run rate (NRR) of -1.087.

While they are virtually out of the race with only one fixture left against Bangladesh, the following could still help Greenshirts qualify for the semifinals:

Pakistan must beat Bangladesh by a huge margin to improve NRR, ending with at least two points.

At the same time, India and Bangladesh must beat New Zealand to keep Black Caps also at two points from their win against Pakistan.

Since Bangladesh have already lost their fixture against India, the aforementioned scenario would leave all Group A teams except India with 2 points each.

In this case, the second semifinalist will be decided through NRR, leaving some qualification hope for Pakistan.

It, however, may be noted that the scenario seems impossible for the time being given current form of said teams and Greenshirts having no control over any of other teams’ matches.

Over the past one week, Pakistan lost their first match of the tournament to New Zealand by 60 runs whereas India defeated Greenshirts by six wickets in the second match on Sunday.

India on Sunday defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the high-tension ICC Champions Trophy fixture as Virat Kohli steered his team to victory with a decisive century.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first but failed to play the full 50 overs, getting bowled out for 241 runs in 49.4 overs.

Pakistan lost its first wicket at 41 runs when Babar Azam returned to the pavillion after scoring 23 runs. Shortly after, Imam Ul Haq was run out for just 10 runs.

The third wicket fell at a total of 151 when captain Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed for 46 runs off 77 balls. Saud Shakeel followed soon after, scoring 62 runs.

Pakistan suffered another blow at 165 runs when Tayyab Tahir departed after scoring only four runs. The team’s struggles continued as vice-captain Salman Ali Agha was dismissed for 19 runs followed by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who returned to the pavilion without scoring any runs.

The lower order couldn’t contribute much with Naseem Shah scoring 14, Haris Rauf 8 and Khushdil Shah 38 runs.

For India, Kuldeep Yadav led the bowling attack, taking three wickets. Hardik Pandya picked up two wickets, while Ajay Jadeja, Harshit Rana and Axar Patel claimed one wicket each.

The Indian team comfortably chased the target, reaching 242 runs for the loss of four wickets. The highlight of the chase was Kohli’s masterclass.

The star Indian batter scored 100 runs off 111 balls. His knock cemented India’s win, sending hosts and defending champions Pakistan virtually out of the tournament.