Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed attributes ICC Champions Trophy 2025 debacle to lack of experience
Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed attributes ICC Champions Trophy 2025 debacle to lack of experience
Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed found himself in the eye of a storm following the team’s dismal performance in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.
As the questions ranged from the team’s poor show in the last three ICC events to the lack of aggression against India, the former international admitted that lack of experience hurt the side during its marquee clash against the rival in Dubai last Sunday.
“When Pakistan and India are playing, it’s more than cricket. Numbers suggest that this Indian team was more experienced. Collectively, they have played more than 1,500 games, whereas for Pakistan, we are at the bottom. Collectively, this team has played around 400 games,” Javed said on Wednesday, on the eve of Pakistan’s last group league fixture against Bangladesh.
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“Babar (Azam) is the most experienced among the lot, who has played more than 100 games, followed by (Mohammad) Rizwan and Shaheen (Afridi). The rest have played less than 30 games, so when you’re talking about more than a game, experience counts. There is no doubt that there was a lack of experience. There were new guys and we didn’t perform to expectations under pressure,” he said, adding that despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Indian bowlers did not look off-colour as they had enough experience under their belt.
While he took responsibility for the team’s poor performance, Javed also said it was unfair to point fingers at a particular player for the team’s debacle.
“After the loss, everyone wants to pinpoint particular players, but there’s no doubt that we have one of the best bowling line-ups in the world and then in terms of batting, who else do you have apart from Babar, who has that sort of an impact,” Javed said.
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“People feel that after defeat, the entire team should be changed. But one needs to understand that it’s already the most experienced team. I find it shocking that we call someone, who has played just 25 games, a senior player and hasn’t performed. They are very talented, but on that particular day, we haven’t been able to play according to the expectations and that’s a fact,” he added.
The seasoned coach, however, refused to attribute Pakistan’s defeat to India playing all its matches in Dubai.
“There is a reason India is playing in Dubai. There is an advantage for sure when you play all your games in one venue, but we didn’t lose because of that. There are other reasons,” Javed said, making it clear that the team won’t take any hasty decisions going forward and the immediate job at hand is to sign off with a win against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
