Babar Azam Selected Friends? Former Pakistan Captain ACCUSED of NEPOTISM After Elimination From Champions Trophy 2025

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam is regarded as one of the finest batters to have represented the country. But in recent times, he has faced the heat for his shambolic show with the bat in the Champions Trophy . Babar has also been blamed for Pakistan's early exit in the competition. Following Pakistan's shock elimination, former cricketer Ahmed Shahzad has blamed Babar for only picking his friends and ruining the overall state of cricket in the country. The former Pakistan cricketer also discussed political interference in cricket but claimed it is the team's indiscipline that has led to its downfall.

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‘Mistake to make a performer the captain’

"It was a mistake to make a performer the captain. After becoming captain, he surrounded himself with friends and selected them for the team, disregarding merit. When you favour friends over deserving players, the wheels of domestic cricket stop turning, as genuine performers don’t get enough chances,” Shehzad said. 

“Political interference has always been there; there’s no doubt. But the condition of the team is not because of the last two years—this has been happening for a while now,” he added. 

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PAK at CT 2025

The hosts became the first nation to get knocked out of the semi-final race after losing to New Zealand by 60 runs in the opener and then were defeated by India by six wickets in Dubai. Two consecutive losses mean Pakistan have no chance of going through to the next stage. This result comes as a big setback for a nation that loves it's cricket. The hosts still have a group-stage game against Bangladesh. That game would be a dead-rubber as both the teams are not in the race for the semi-final. India and New Zealand are the two teams that have qualified for the semi-final from Group A.