The 2025 Champions Trophy marks a big occasion for Pakistan cricket as it will be the first International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament the country will host after 29 years as the Mohammad Rizwan-led side aims to defend the trophy they won in 2017 in England after beating India in the final.

While only three members of the 2017 side are still playing for the Men in Green in 2025, the defending champions are one of the strongest contenders to win the tournament. Despite the twin defeat to New Zealand in the tri-series, Pakistan will be confident of their chances after historic ODI series victories in Australia and South Africa in recent months.

Strengths: Pakistan's biggest strengths, as always, lie around their fast bowlers, with Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf offering a pace attack that is as strong as any in the tournament, at least on paper. Although the form and fitness of all three players are questionable, if the trio performs to expectation, they will make life tough for all opposition teams.

After making a comeback to the team after missing the tour of Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, Fakhar Zaman has looked in red-hot form with the bat and offers the hosts an x-factor on top. Meanwhile, the pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha is number four and five and is arguably the most reliable in the competition.

Weakness: If Pakistan's pace attack inspires confidence, their spin attack paints a sorry picture. The 2017 champions have only one specialist spinner in their 15-man squad in the form of Abrar Ahmed, who has only played 7 ODIs in which he has taken 13 wickets. Rizwan will have to massively rely on part-timers like Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah, which is a risk in conditions that could assist spin bowling.

Moreover, their lower-order batting remains a big question with a lack of experience and proven ability to deliver under pressure. Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, and Khushdil Shah have provided inconsistent returns so far and remain a cause of huge worry for Pakistan.

Opportunities: While no host nation apart from Sri Lanka's shared trophy with India in 2002 has won the Champions Trophy in cricket, home advantage is a big factor and Pakistan has the golden chance to capitalise on it and become the second team after Australia to defend the title. While the Rizwan-led outfit will have to travel to Dubai to face India and potentially play the final there, the Men in Green have played a lot of cricket in the UAE and know the conditions better than anyone else.

Threats: Saim Ayub's injury has come as a major blow to Pakistan, and with Abdullah Shafique struggling for form and the likes of Imam-Ul Haq and Shan Masood out of the scheme of things, the holders have picked just one specialist opener. Fakhar Zaman's opening partners remain a question mark after Babar Azam failed to make an impact in the tri-series. It remains to be seen if the ex-skipper continues to open or if Pakistan uses a wildcard to open the batting.

While Babar became the joint-quickest player in ODI history to score 6000 ODI runs, his form across formats has been a cause of concern for a long while. Moreover, the 30-year-old's record in the ICC tournament in both ODI and T20Is is far from impressive.

This tournament is a litmus for Babar as he has a chance to put aside criticism over his performances in big matches at home, a failure to make a significant impact this time around will put major question marks over his status as one of the best players in the world.

Match	Date	Venue	Time (IST)
Pakistan vs New Zealand	19/02/2025	National Stadium, Karachi	2:30 PM
Pakistan vs India	23/02/2025	Dubai International Stadium, Dubai	2:30 PM
Pakistan vs Bangladesh	27/02/2025	Rawalpindi International Stadium, Rawalpindi	2:30 PM
SF 2 - Pakistan vs TBA (If Qualify)	05/03/2025	Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore	2:30 PM
Final - Pakistan vs TBA (if Qualify)	09/03/2025	Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore/Dubai International Stadium, Dubai	2:30 PM

Also Read: India Champions Trophy 2025 SWOT Analysis: Men in Blue Hot Favourites Despite Bumrah Blow Face Battle With Own Demons

Pakistan Squad For Champions Trophy 2025: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Pakistan Likely XI For Champions Trophy 2025: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

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