Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has asked experts and fans to continue underestimating them so that they could perform well in the
2025 Champions Trophy. The mega tournament begins today (February 19), with Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi as well. Pakistan have struggled in recent ICC events, suffering pre-semifinal exits in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup as well. They had a poor home tri-series with New Zealand and South Africa, losing twice to the Black Caps in the build-up to the mega event as well.
Talking about this in the press conference on the eve of the tournament opener, Rizwan said [as quoted by India Today]: “If that’s how we win, then keep underestimating us. Hopefully, we win. Look, we have a few concerns. As a player, I would say we need to improve our awareness a bit. We need to enhance our professionalism. There is no doubt that Pakistan has achieved great things. We have produced exceptional players. Even now, young cricketers approach us to learn, and players from other countries do the same. I believe that if we work hard, execute our plans, and play smart cricket on the day, the Almighty will reward us.”
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Mohammad Rizwan also slammed at critics of Pakistan cricket by saying their relative consistency despite the lack of home games over the past decade and a half as well. Notably, the 2025 Champions Trophy will be the first ICC event hosted by Pakistan since the 1996 ODI World Cup as well.
“We always say – if you look at our team and our processes now, we endured 10 years without international teams visiting Pakistan, yet we still delivered strong performances for the nation. So, no one should doubt our talent, our ability, or our facilities,” Mohammad Rizwan said in the same press conference. “Yes, on certain days we might underperform or fail to play to our full potential, allowing other teams to capitalize. But we are working hard to rectify that and ensure the results favor Pakistan.”
