Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed highlighted the stark contrast in experience between India and his team as a key reason for their defeat in the Champions Trophy 2025 clash. The former pacer noted that India’s squad had significantly more experience, with Pakistan fielding only one player with over 100 ODIs.
India dominated their arch-rivals in Dubai on Sunday, February 23, securing a six-wicket victory with 45 balls to spare. Despite Mohammad Rizwan winning the toss and opting to bat, Pakistan lost momentum in the middle overs, posting a competitive 241.
However, their bowling attack struggled to defend the total. Ahead of Pakistan’s final group-stage match against Bangladesh on Thursday, Javed told ‘ESPNCricinfo’:
“When Pakistan and India is playing, it’s not only cricket – it’s more than that. You need a lot of experience. This Indian team was the most experienced – they have almost 1500 games together. And Pakistan is on the bottom, with less than 400 games together.”
“If you look at players like Babar Azam is the only one who has played more than 100 games. Then there’s Mohammad Rizwan and then Shaheen Afridi. The rest of them have less than 30 matches.”
“Tayyab Tahir has played like eight games. Imam-ul-Haq was coming back in the team. The main thing is, when nothing works, and when you are talking about more than a game, then the experience counts. There is no doubt.”
The defending champions still had a slim chance of making the semi-finals despite their loss to India, relying on Bangladesh to beat New Zealand. However, New Zealand’s victory secured their own spot along with India’s in the final four.
Aaqib Javed backs Pakistan pacers, calling them among the best attacks
Amid criticism over selection choices, Javed insisted this was the strongest Pakistan squad available and stated:
“A common person who doesn’t play and is not part of the team management wants reasons and the names of people because of whom this team is losing. As far as Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris are concerned, our plan was to make the best possible 11 or 15.”
“There is no doubt that Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris are excellent bowlers. If you compare them with the bowling attack of any team, they are one of the best fast-bowling options.”
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