Imran Khan criticizes Pakistan Cricket Team’s performance in ICC Champions Trophy 2025

RAWALPINDI: Jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has expressed his disappointment over the Pakistan cricket team’s disappointing performance in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail, Imran’s sister Aleema Khan expressed her concerns. She said Imran believes that cricket will suffer if bias continues to influence the decision-making process.

Aleema Khan mentioned that Imran watched Pakistan’s match against India and was very upset by the team’s decline. She added that “he was saddened by the loss and had questioned the cricketing credentials of PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.”

Pakistan’s early exit from the tournament has drawn criticism, especially as the country is hosting an ICC event for the first time in 29 years.

The defending champions started with a defeat at the hands of New Zealand, the same team that had beaten them twice in the recent tri-nation ODI series that also included South Africa. Hopes were high for a strong showing at home, but under Mohammad Rizwan, the team fell short, including a crucial defeat to arch-rivals India in Dubai on February 23.

Pakistan crashed out of the tournament after New Zealand beat Bangladesh on Monday. The Green Shirts, now out of contention, will next face Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 27.

This is not the first time Pakistan has struggled on the big stage. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, they won just four of their nine matches, finishing fifth on the points table. The disappointment continued in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where defeats against India and the United States cut their journey short.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja echoed these sentiments, saying Imran was “very sad” about the state of national cricket. He said cricket holds a special place in the hearts of Pakistanis but has become a laughing stock in recent years.