Unfortunately, for the Men in Green, Saim Ayub couldn’t get fit in time and was left out of the Champions Trophy squad. Further, there were other few stars who missed out on a spot. At the same time, the list featured several surprise picks, who weren’t in the scheme of things a few weeks earlier.
This article will shed light on three surprise picks in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad.
Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar Zaman has finally breathed a sigh of relief as he has been picked up in the ODI squad for the first time since 2023 World Cup. It is worth noting that Zaman was Pakistan’s top choice in ODIs for the opening slot, but he was left out of the team after he publically criticised PCB for leaving Babar Azam out of the team.
The tweet did not go well with the PCB and they dropped the southpaw from the team. Despite an apology, Fakhar was left out of South Africa tour. When it looked like it is the end of the road for Zaman, the PCB provided him with a ray of hope and surprisingly picked him for Champions Trophy 2025.
2. Faheem Ashraf
Another surprise pick in Pakistan’s squad has been Faheem Ashraf. The 31-year-old has been out of scheme of things for a long time and last played in September 2023. However, he has been doing great in the BPL that got him a call-up for Champions Trophy squad.
Talking about his performance in BPL, Faheem has 20 wickets in 11 matches and has also scored 102 runs in five matches.
3. Khushdil Shah
Khushdil Shah is another surprise pick as he will be seen in Pakistani colours in ODIs after 3 years. He is also doing well in the Bangladesh Premier League and it has helped him to get a place in the Pakistan squad.