The Champions Trophy 2025 has kicked off on February 19, and Pakistan’s journey in the tournament was remarkably short-lived, lasting only four days. Although the Pakistan cricket team was officially ruled out of the tournament after losing to India on February 23, their fate was sealed on February 24 when New Zealand defeated Bangladesh. With one match still pending for Pakistan, it’s no longer of consequence. Meanwhile, the Pakistani team has managed to pull off a rather unfortunate feat. It’s worth noting that when the final is held on March 9, the winning team of the Champions Trophy will not be Pakistan, which is ironic given that they were the last team to win the title.
Champions Trophy’s host nation out of the first round for the second time
India and New Zealand have secured their spots in the semi-finals from Group A of the ICC Champions Trophy, marking the end of the road for Pakistan and Bangladesh. Pakistan has become the second host nation to be eliminated in the first round, a distinction they share with South Africa, which hosted the Champions Trophy in 2009. This is certainly not a record the Pakistani team would have wanted to make.
Even after being champion, the team could not make an entry into the next round
In 2017, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy title under the captaincy of Sarfaraz Ahmed, after which the ICC put the tournament on hold. Eight years later, the tournament has returned, but Pakistan is already out of the running. This isn’t the first time a previous champion has failed to advance to the next round. In 2002, India and Sri Lanka were joint winners, but when the Champions Trophy was held again in 2004, both teams were eliminated in the first round. Similarly, Australia won the title in 2009 but was knocked out in the first round in 2013. Now, Pakistan has suffered the same fate.
Pakistan and Bangladesh match on February 27
Although Pakistan and Bangladesh are both out of the Champions Trophy, they still have one match left to play against each other. The match is scheduled to take place in Rawalpindi on February 27. Neither team has won a match yet, so the outcome of this game will determine which team earns two points and which returns home empty-handed. It remains to be seen which team will manage to win this consolation match.