Controversial statement by Saeed Mushtaq: While talking to a Pakistani channel, Saqlain Mushtaq said that it is important to keep Pakistan cricket away from politics. He said that if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) corrects its mistakes and works in the right direction, then the day is not far when Pakistan cricket will give tough competition to any team in the world.
Saqlain Mushtaq has given this statement at a time when Pakistan is hosting the Champions Trophy 2025 , but its own team was eliminated from the tournament within 5 days. Pakistan first lost against New Zealand and India, and then the match against Bangladesh was cancelled due to rain.
Pakistan’s poor performance in Champions Trophy 2025
The performance of the Pakistan team in the Champions Trophy 2025 was very disappointing. The Pakistan team did not win a single match in this tournament and was eliminated in the group stage itself. After this defeat, the Pakistan cricket team is being heavily criticized.
Former Pakistani cricketers are fiercely targeting Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and other players. Pakistan’s losing streak continued even before the Champions Trophy.
Pakistan also lost in the triangular series
Before the Champions Trophy, Pakistan had participated in a triangular series in which New Zealand and South Africa were also part. Pakistan had to face defeat in the final of this tournament , which exposed the weaknesses of the team.
Now after the poor performance in the Champions Trophy, the possibilities of big changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have increased.
Question on the captaincy of captain Mohammad Rizwan
After this poor performance of Pakistan, questions are also being raised on the captaincy of captain Mohammad Rizwan. Cricket experts believe that Rizwan could not take the right decisions under pressure and his strategy failed.
There was a lack of coordination among many players within the team, which affected the team’s performance. After this defeat of the Pakistan team, former players are constantly targeting the team and demanding changes.
Will there be a big change in PCB?
After Pakistan’s defeat in the Champions Trophy, discussions have intensified in the cricket world that there could be major changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
It is believed that changes can be made in the team’s coaching staff, captaincy and selection committee. Apart from this, there is also a discussion about removing some senior players and giving a chance to new talents.
PCB has made big changes many times before, but there has been no significant improvement in the team’s performance. In such a situation, it will be interesting to see what steps PCB takes this time.
Historical Rivalry of India-Pakistan Cricket
Cricket matches between India and Pakistan have always been a topic of discussion. Due to political reasons , bilateral series between the two countries are very rare, but whenever these teams face each other in a big tournament, the match is extremely exciting.
In recent years, the Indian team has performed better against Pakistan. India has defeated Pakistan several times in the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and Asia Cup .
In this context, Saqlain Mushtaq said that if the Indian team has confidence in its strength, then it should play series against Pakistan regularly. However, the BCCI’s policy is clear that until the political situation becomes normal, there will be no bilateral series between India and Pakistan.
Is India-Pakistan cricket series possible?
There is always controversy regarding the cricket series between India and Pakistan. Due to political tension, the cricket boards of both the countries have been avoiding organizing any bilateral series.
However, both teams play against each other in ICC tournaments . India and Pakistan also faced each other in the Champions Trophy 2025, in which the Indian team defeated Pakistan by a huge margin.
Players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah performed brilliantly for India , while the Pakistani team looked weak.
Former Pakistani cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq has given a big challenge to the Indian cricket team. He said that if the Indian team is really strong, then it should play 10 Tests, 10 ODIs and 10 T20s against Pakistan.
However, the Pakistan cricket team is currently battling internal problems and recently made an early exit from the Champions Trophy 2025.
After this , there are possibilities of big changes in the Pakistan team and PCB. At the same time, there is still uncertainty about the bilateral series between India and Pakistan.
