Following Pakistan’s loss in the Tri-Nation Series final against New Zealand, Aaqib Javed, a former cricketer and current coach of the Pakistan cricket team stated that Pakistan’s current lineup has everything it needs to defeat any team.
Despite the defeat, Javed stated that the team possesses all the necessary skills and talent to defeat any opponent, however, he acknowledged the areas that needed improvement but remained confident in the team’s ability to bounce back and succeed in Champions Trophy 2025.
Reflecting on the decision to change the batting order, Javed explained, “Our rationale behind the change was that if you look at the away series against South Africa, Babar Azam had to bat in the first over in all games. Then Saim got injured, and he had to open in Tests too. These pitches are not troubling the batters at the start, we wanted our best batter to make good use of the powerplay, that suits us more.”
He also addressed the recurring issue of losing wickets in clumps. “The obvious problem at times is that we lose wickets in clusters. At those times, it is easier for spinners to bowl in that situation. Meanwhile, the other team is losing one wicket and then a small partnership and then a wicket, spinners won’t get the ideal playing situation here.”
On the decision to bat first in the final, Javed said, “We saw the pitch in the morning and knew from that time that this wasn’t a high-scoring surface, a total of 270-280 would’ve been a good one. So that’s why we decided to bat first and try to post that kind of total and put them under pressure. We ended up posting around 240, and then if their batters can manage a quiet period or two, it doesn’t matter.”
Looking ahead to the Champions Trophy, Javed expressed confidence in the team’s potential. “This team will do great in the Champions Trophy. If this team bats normally and down till number 8 you can score 350. If Haris Rauf gets fit and gets in form with Naseem and Shaheen as well as our spinners. This lineup has everything it needs to defeat any team.”
