Aqib Javed blames lack of experience for Pakistan’s Champions Trophy exit

Pakistan cricket team’s interim head coach, Aqib Javed, has provided his reasons for Pakistan’s abysmal Champions Trophy campaign, blaming the relative inexperience of the team as the key issue behind their struggles.

Aqib made these comments while addressing the media ahead of Pakistan’s final group game against Bangladesh.

Speaking candidly about the challenges faced by his team, Aqib Javed explained that the current group of players had not played as many high-level matches together as some of their counterparts from other nations before the Champions Trophy which affected their performance.

While it is true that Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf were the most notable names to find a place in the 15-man squad without playing any ODI cricket since 2023, Aqib himself should have been aware of this as the Chief Selector.

Tayyab Tahir also made the squad, replacing Irfan Khan, who was part of the team that won in South Africa and Australia, leaving experts unimpressed.

Commenting on the defeat from the Indian side, Javed said, the Indian team was more experienced than Pakistan.

Read more: Navjot Singh Sidhu shares message for Pakistani fans amid criticism of Babar Azam 

"They have 1,500 game experience altogether and Pakistan is on the bottom with less than 400 games," he added to support the worst performance of the players.

Pakistan’s performance in the Champions Trophy has raised questions about the team’s preparedness, particularly after their early exit from the group stage.

Despite entering the tournament as the defending champions, the team struggled in both of its games as it crashed out of the Champions Trophy.

Aqib Javed, however, remained firm in his belief that the squad was carefully chosen, with an emphasis on potential rather than proven results.