There is only a glimmer of hope left for Pakistan at the Champions Trophy, as the hosts now depend entirely on other match results to keep their semifinal dreams alive.
The defending champions from 2017 are now faced with the harsh reality of rebuilding their ODI cricket strength after a challenging tournament campaign.
With Pakistan struggling, captain Mohammad Rizwan faced tough questions during the post-match press conference following his team’s defeat to India in Dubai. He remained optimistic but acknowledged that critical errors in all aspects of the game had led to their losses against both India and New Zealand.
“When you lose, difficult questions arise,” Rizwan admitted. “All three departments—batting, bowling, and fielding—made mistakes. That’s why we lost the match.”
He went on to stress that Pakistan was not far behind top-tier teams but emphasized the need to play with more bravery. “We keep making the same mistakes as in the past few games. Maybe our opponents were braver, and that’s why they achieved better results.”
After choosing to bat first, Pakistan’s batting lineup struggled to maintain an aggressive scoring rate in the middle overs, a shortcoming that proved costly. Rizwan, arriving at the crease in the 10th over with the team at 47/2, built a solid 104-run partnership with Saud Shakeel, but their slow scoring rate left the team with an insufficient total.
Rizwan managed 46 off 77 balls, while Saud contributed 62 off 76. However, once the partnership was broken, India capitalized by consistently taking wickets, ultimately restricting Pakistan to 241 runs—an easily chased target that India achieved with 45 balls to spare and six wickets in hand.
“The shot selection in the middle overs was poor, and that gave them an opportunity to take our wickets,” Rizwan reflected. “The middle order couldn’t handle the pressure.”
Pakistan will now closely watch Monday’s game between Bangladesh and New Zealand, hoping for an upset that keeps Group A open for contention. Otherwise, New Zealand will join India in securing a spot in the semifinals.
The Champions Trophy hosts will return home from Dubai to prepare for Thursday’s critical encounter against Bangladesh, while India will face New Zealand in the final group-stage match on Sunday, March 2.