Pakistan looked like a lost team before Champions Trophy even started

There is a painful joke going around the internet that Pakistan waited to host an ICC event for three decades, only to become the first team to get knocked out within five days.

Well, the Champions Trophy is one of the shortest tournaments in cricket and even if Pakistan had lost in, say the semi-finals, their campaign would have ended in 15 days. But that is beside the point.

Being tournament hosts should have provided them additional fillip, but it looks like only Pakistan's supporters and those who helped in the reconstruction of their three venues had done their job for the Champions Trophy.

After New Zealand eased past Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday, Pakistan were officially out of the race for the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy. In reality, they had lost it in the first game of the tournament itself.

There, Pakistan's batsmen refused to move out of third gear while chasing a target of 321. Babar Azam scored 64 from 90 balls, with a staggering 52 dot balls.

The lower order did give it a go, but they could only reduce the margin of defeat to 60 runs. The mentality of the top order had been laid bare.

They carried the same thought process in the match against India. Opener Imam-ul-Haq made 10 from 26 and got run out looking for a desperate run.

Captain Mohammad Rizwan took 77 balls for his 46 runs and even though he had a century stand with Saud Shakeel, too many balls had been consumed by the time Rizwan was out in the 34th over.

The target of 242 was woefully short, India reaching home with more than seven overs to spare. Two really bad games and their tournament was over.

Timid approach

Pakistan great Shahid Afridi could not believe how cautiously Pakistan's batsmen were playing in an era where 350 is being chased down regularly and easily.

“In 2025 Pakistan was playing the cricket style of the 1980s and 1990s while other teams had progressed well to adopt an aggressive and modern style,” the former captain said.

“Too many dot balls also hurt our game.”

Afridi scored more than 8,000 runs in nearly 400 ODIs at a strike rate of nearly 120. And he played in the 1990s. He must have been squirming in his seat watching this lot bat.

The lack of intent was so sizeable, it could be seen from space. Against India, Pakistan hit their first maximum after 40 overs, while India hit theirs in the second.

In all, Pakistan played 152 dot balls against India while scoring 241 in 49.4 overs. Against New Zealand, they were even worse, with 162 dot balls in a score of 260 in 47.2 overs. That, in a nutshell, is where Pakistan cricket sadly stands.

After injuries to Saim Ayub and then Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan lost two truly aggressive top-order batters. But that can't be used as an excuse for the criminally slow batting in home conditions by players who have been around for a decade.

Some experts believe Pakistan's Champions Trophy campaign was a disaster waiting to happen. They picked just one front-line spinner in Abrar Ahmed and had no backup options for openers.

That issue flared up when Zaman got injured and out-of-favour Imam had to be brought in for the make-or-break India match.

Also, apart from Abrar, no other Pakistan bowler caused any difficulty for India's batsmen, with the hosts relying on part-time spin of Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah.

India played that match with three specialist Test spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.

Way forward

Pakistan have now been knocked out in the opening round of their last three ICC tournaments. That is a damning indictment of their white-ball cricket.

They made wholesale changes to their entire cricket structure multiple times, changed coaches and chairmen whenever they felt like, and still went back to the same set of players who have failed them at major events.

This time, the senior group won't have a lot to complain if they are collectively shown the door. Coach Aaqib Javed is also said to be on the chopping block. But squad and personnel changes are not going to matter if the mentality remains the same.

It is painfully obvious that Pakistan is failing to meet the demands of modern white-ball cricket, which puts particular emphasis on fearless batting and innovative bowling. Aggressive batting, especially, is a non negotiable, even at the risk of being bowled out for 150.

In a way, it is good that the team in green have hit rock bottom. At least now, fans won't be disheartened if the team starts from scratch and builds a new group around modern ideas. Because that team will be worth watching.

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