The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is just around the corner. The eight-team tournament begins from February 19. Hosts Pakistan enter the competition as defending champions. But do they shape up as one of the strong contenders to win the title? Here’s a SWOT analysis from IANS of the Pakistan team that is set to begin their campaign with the tournament opener against New Zealand. The tournament will be held in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. Pakistan last hosted a multi-nation cricket tournament when the 1996 World Cup was on, including the final. Now 29 years later, Pakistan are back to being the host for an ICC event via the return of the Champions Trophy. Pakistan will host 11 out of 15 matches in its three renovated venues. The lower order of Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah is another weak link as they haven’t done anything substantial at the international level. Pakistan left everyone baffled by picking one specialist spinner in Abrar Ahmed, who is injury-prone. The first ten overs being crucial to post a big total, the Fakhar-Babar opening combination is a weak link. While teams can thrive under this pressure, it can also cause them to crumble under it and make an early exit from the competition. With Pakistan carrying that unpredictable tag, it means their performances can go either way and that’s a big threat for them. If Pakistan step up in both on and off-field activities during the tournament, it could pave the way for more sporting events to come its way in the country which has been battling economic and political instability.
