Pakistan’s 15-member squad will start its preparation from February 4 for the upcoming tri-nation home ODI series and the highly-anticipated ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to run from February 19 to March 9.
According to the details, the national squad will assemble here to partake in the training sessions for the two major assignments.
The squad will hold its first training session at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) ground on Wednesday afternoon, while their next practice sessions are scheduled in the evening on February 5 and 6.
The team will then hold their final training session on Friday evening – the eve of the tri-nation series, scheduled from February 8 to 14.
The tri-nation series, featuring New Zealand and South Africa, will be hosted by Pakistan as part of their preparations for the Champions Trophy 2025.
This series will be crucial for Pakistan’s ODI team as they aim to defend their title in the upcoming mega event.
The tri-series will follow a single-league format, and the final is scheduled for February 14 in Karachi.
After the tri-series, the Champions Trophy 2025 will kick off on February 19 and will run until March 9.
Matches will be held across three venues in Pakistan – Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi – and in Dubai, featuring 15 thrilling encounters between the eight participating teams.
New opening pair
Fakhar, who returned to the ODI team after the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, faces the void as his fellow opener Saim Ayub missed out on the selection due to an ankle injury, while Abdullah Shafique failed to make a cut, owing to his recent below-par performances.
Meanwhile, national selector Asad Shafiq, in a PCB-released statement, addressed the concern and revealed star batter Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel as Fakhar’s potential opening partners for the eight-team tournament.
Shafiq further shared that Fakhar’s opening partner will be selected after analysing various factors including conditions, opposition and match strategy.
“Fakhar Zaman’s return is a significant boost for our top-order. His aggressive approach and match-winning capabilities are vital to our plans,” said Shafiq.
“Likewise, Saud Shakeel has been drafted to further bolster the batting and capitalise on his rich vein of form in Test cricket, particularly in home conditions. Moreover, he is an experienced, intelligent and calculated batter who constructs his innings thoughtfully and excels at building partnerships.
“Fakhar’s opening partner could be either Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel, depending on various factors such as conditions, opposition and match strategy. Both players are highly capable at the top of the order, with Babar being particularly seasoned in the role, regularly opening in T20Is and also excelling in the Cape Town Test by scoring two half-centuries in Saim Ayub’s absence.”
Pakistan squad for tri-nation series and Champions Trophy 2025: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.