With their hopes of defending the Champions Trophy title crushed, Pakistan will look to salvage pride when they face Bangladesh in a dead rubber on Thursday. Both teams have been eliminated after consecutive defeats to India and New Zealand.
Pakistan’s campaign has been disappointing, with a lackluster batting approach, poor fielding, and injuries adding to their struggles. Their outdated strategy saw them play an alarming 161 dot balls against New Zealand and 147 against India, showing little urgency in scoring. The absence of Fakhar Zaman due to injury further weakened their top order, while Imam-ul-Haq, his replacement, failed to make an impact. Star players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan also underperformed when it mattered most.
Pakistan’s renowned pace attack, featuring Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, has failed to deliver, looking rusty and ineffective. Adding to their woes, Pakistan selected only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed, on spin-friendly pitches. Off the field, frequent changes in selectors, coaches, and captains have destabilized the team.
Bangladesh, too, struggled throughout the tournament. Despite flashes of resilience from Towhid Hridoy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Jaker Ali, their batting lineup failed to deliver. Fielding lapses further hurt their chances. However, with Pakistan out of form, Bangladesh will hope to end their campaign on a positive note.
