The 2025 Champions Trophy marked Pakistan's first time hosting the tournament in nearly thirty years; however, the hosts experienced a disappointing campaign, the repercussions of which have lingered since their final match. Former all-rounder and ex-head coach Mohammad Hafeez has raised concerns regarding the legacy of the illustrious Pakistan teams from the 1990s, noting their inability to secure victories in several ICC tournaments during that era. Shoaib Akhtar, a legendary fast bowler and a member of the panel alongside Hafeez, engaged in a thought-provoking dialogue following these remarks.

"I hold great admiration for the players of the 1990s, yet when discussing legacy, they left little for Pakistan. They did not clinch an ICC title, suffering defeats in the World Cups of 1996, 1999, and 2003. We reached the final in 1999 but faced a significant loss," Hafeez stated during the OutSide Edge Live program, where he was joined by Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, and Sana Mir.

"While they were undoubtedly superstars, they failed to inspire us by winning an ICC event. This led to a challenging period for us, culminating in our loss in the final of the T20 World Cup in 2007. However, we achieved victory in 2009 under Younis Khan's leadership, which served as motivation for the subsequent generation. Unfortunately, a tragic incident impacted Pakistan cricket, from which we have yet to fully recover. The triumph in the 2017 Champions Trophy was a significant source of inspiration, and today, people look up to Babar Azam, who, despite not playing a pivotal role in that event, was part of the team.

"The inability of the superstars from the 1990s to win ICC events, despite their immense talent, is a notable aspect," he concluded.

Malik and Sana Mir then contributed to the discussion, prompting laughter and smiles among the studio participants, including Akhtar. The latter remarked on Pakistan's significantly favorable head-to-head record against their arch-rivals India in ODI cricket.

A campaign to forget for Pakistan

Pakistan commenced their tournament with a defeat against New Zealand, losing by 60 runs in Karachi. Subsequently, they faced another setback, losing to India in Dubai by six wickets. These two outcomes effectively determined their fate, allowing India and New Zealand to advance to the semi-finals, where they are now scheduled to compete in the final on Sunday. Additionally, Pakistan's final match against Bangladesh was abandoned due to rain in Rawalpindi.

Although no alterations have been announced regarding the ODI team structure, Pakistan has appointed Salman Agha as the new captain of the T20I squad, replacing Mohammad Rizwan. This marks the fourth change in leadership for the T20I team since January of the previous year, with both Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam having held the captaincy during this timeframe.

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