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Ahmed Shehzad has sharply criticized Pakistan’s cricket team captain Mohammad Rizwan for his tactical decisions leading up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Ahmed Shehzad unhappy with Pakistan captain’s decision-making abilities
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Shehzad described Rizwan’s choice to bat first in the tri-series final against New Zealand as a “brainless decision,” highlighting a lack of understanding regarding pitch conditions.
“Pakistan’s bubble has burst ahead of the Champions Trophy,” said Shehzad on this YouTube channel. He noted that the pitch at Karachi’s National Stadium typically favours batting in the evening, yet Pakistan opted to set a target instead of chasing, which ultimately led to their defeat by five wickets.
“It was a mind-boggling decision (to bat first) because we had seen in the previous match that the pitch becomes better to bat on in the night, the ball doesn’t grip on the surface for the spinners. Still, the Pakistan team decided to bat first. Brainless decision, no clue,” added Shehzad, pointing out at Pakistan’s record chase against South Africa at the same venue.
The former Pakistan opener also expressed his frustration over Rizwan’s decision to drop a specialist bowler in favour of an all-rounder, claiming that this move compromised the team’s bowling strength. He pointed out that Rizwan’s strategy seemed overly cautious, suggesting that the captain consistently chooses to play it safe rather than leveraging the team’s strengths.
“In his every decision, the Pakistan captain wants to play safe with batting, be it by being a spinner short in the Champions Trophy squad or this match, where they played (bowling all-rounder) Faheem Ashraf to have a longer batting line-up at the expense of (fast bowler) Mohammad Hasnain and still used him (Ashraf) for just two overs,” Shehzad analysed.
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‘You are making so many mistakes’
The criticism comes at a challenging time for Pakistan cricket, as they have struggled with form and decision-making in recent tournaments. Shehzad lamented that such “childish decisions” could jeopardize their chances in the upcoming Champions Trophy, emphasizing that the team often relies on opponents’ mistakes rather than executing their own game plan effectively.
“In a final, you are making childish decisions…you are making so many mistakes in matches. You get a chance to win only when the opposition performs below par or don’t have their main players playing,” said Shehzad.
As Pakistan prepares for the Champions Trophy, Shehzad’s comments underscore the mounting pressure on Rizwan and the team to deliver results and refine their strategies ahead of this significant international competition.
