Pakistan’s interim coach, Aaqib Javed, stated that the absence of both Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman had a damaging effect on the side’s campaign in progress at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He also believed that there is no shortage of motivation for Pakistan’s last game against Bangladesh.
Pakistan suffered severe blows in the lead-up to and during the tournament when they were forced to go without injured key players Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman, frustrating the latter half of their opening pair before the ODI tournament. Pakistan has now lost two consecutive group stages against New Zealand and India, with only one game left to play, and Javed maintained that every Pakistani player is motivated to end things positively.
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“There is no worry about lack of motivation for the players,” he stated.
On the contrary, Javed maintains that just three changes were made to the team that defeated Australia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe earlier.
“There were certain players whose presence in some games was important for the team. Players like Saim and Fakhar have a positive impact on matches. When they can’t play, we have to select the team accordingly,” he explained.
He also said that fans and critics alike often confuse T20 and ODI performances.
“There are so many things at play during a Pakistan and India match and while emotionally the fans suffer, the players suffer, get disappointed, and feel upset even more.”
On the other hand, the coaching period for Javed shall end after the Bangladesh encounter. He had come in after Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie resigned. Until PCB decides otherwise, he will remain a selection committee member.
It remains to be seen if Pakistan can whip up an improved performance to give the home crowd something to look forward to after a horrendous display in the previous two games. The game against India saw Pakistan being dominated on all fronts, leading to criticisms from several former players. The board will be under pressure to get some changes in after the tournament and ensure that Pakistan cricket is back on track.
