Champions Trophy: Younis Khan comments on Pakistan’s semi-final chances

Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan on Friday, backed the national men’s team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to run from February 19 to March 9.

Younis, while speaking to the media, defended the team selection for the eight-team tournament, stating that these are the ‘best-available’ players.

He further expressed his confidence in the players’ abilities to lead the home side into the final four of the mega event.

"The team selected for the Champions Trophy consists of the best available players, and the key to good performance is mental fitness. The players have the talent to make it to the top four teams of the Champions Trophy," said Younis.

"Team selection is done based on performance, and once the squad is chosen, the players should be fully supported. Criticism and unnecessary changes only create pressure on the players," he added.

The 47-year-old also threw his weight behind returning opener Fakhar Zaman to lead the national team to glory with memorable knocks.

"Zaman could play a pivotal role in leading Pakistan to victory with a memorable innings, as he has done in the past," Younis stated.

He also expressed disappointment over Saim Ayub’s absence from the tournament, terming it ‘unfortunate’ that the home team will not be able to benefit from his skills.

"It’s unfortunate that Saim Ayub, a young and talented player, won’t be part of the team due to injury. Pakistan won’t be able to benefit from his skills in this mega event," he said.

Pakistan squad for tri-nation series, Champions Trophy 2025:

Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Usman Khan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.