Mohammad Hafeez wants Babar Azam to bat at No.3 in Champions Trophy

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez on Friday, opposed the promotion of star batter Babar Azam as an opener for the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to run from February 19 to March 9.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last month, unveiled the much-anticipated squad for the ongoing tri-nation ODI series and the eight-team tournament, featuring only one specialist opener Fakhar Zaman.

This gave rise to speculation as to who will open the innings for Pakistan alongside Fakhar in the upcoming assignments.

Meanwhile, national selector Asad Shafiq, in a PCB-released statement, addressed the concern and revealed Babar and Saud Shakeel as Fakhar’s potential opening partners.

The vacant slot was eventually handed to star batter Babar, who opened the innings for Pakistan in all three matches of the ongoing tri-nation ODI series.

The right-handed batter, however, could not excel in the new role as he only managed meagre scores of 10, 23 and 29 in three innings.

As a result, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez advised the team management to select Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq or Shan Masood as Fakhar’s opening partner for the Champions Trophy 2025 in a bid to relocate Babar to his preferred batting position of No.3.

“Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq or Abdullah Shafique, take any one as opener & let Babar Azam play at no 3 in Champions trophy. Make things easier for everyone,” Hafeez wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

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

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