Former Cricketer Asks Pakistan Team to Quit Champions Trophy and Play Series vs Zimbabwe and Ireland

Former Pakistan cricketer, Kamran Akmal brutally criticized his country, after their defeat against New Zealand in their opening game of Champions Trophy 2025 in Karachi.

Opting to bowl, Pakistan pacers haven’t been much effective with the ball, giving away 320 runs with Will Young and Tom Latham smashing 107 and 118 runs respectively.

However, Pakistan batters failed to chase down the total as they were bundled by the opposition for 260 runs. Khushdil Shah has been the top-scorer for his side, smashing 69 runs with the help of 10 fours and a six.

After witnessing the poor performance in both departments, the former Pakistan wicket-keeper, Kamran Akmal lashes out on Team Pakistan, asking them to play against Zimbabwe and Ireland.

“Zimbabwe and Ireland ku series ho rahi hai, udhar jaayein. Wahan jaake khelein aur agar hum udhar jeette hain toh hum deserve karte hain (Champions Trophy). Hamari iss tarah ki cricket ho rahi hai. (There’s a series going on between Zimbabwe and Ireland. Go and play with them. If you win against them, then only you deserve to play in the Champions Trophy. This is the current condition of Pakistan cricket)” Kamran was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports in a recent conversation with ARY News.

“They (New Zealand) were three wickets down in the early stages of the match. Look at their maturity that they took time, rotated the strike and started firing only after getting the full control. This is what a mature team does. They always come with a backup plan. Their batter Rachin Ravindra got injured and even his replacement (Will Young) scored a century,” he added.

Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan will face Rohit Sharma’s Indian side in their upcoming encounter on 23rd February, Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. It will be interesting to see how Pakistan going to counter attack India after their comprehensive loss to the Kiwi’s.