Pakistan Cricket 2025
Year delivers contrasts for Pakistan cricket; senior setbacks, junior glory, and flashes of home dominance
islamabad
While Pakistan’s senior cricket team wrapped up 2025 without winning a major event trophy, the nation’s young stars stole the spotlight. Emerging talents showcased brilliance across formats, lifting silverware and giving fans a glimpse of a promising future.
The year proved that Pakistan’s cricketing hope increasingly rests with its youth.
The year began on a sour note for Pakistan as the national team suffered a 2-0 whitewash at the hands of South Africa in the second Test of the series.
The defeat set an early tone of inconsistency and disappointment.
WTC heartbreak
Pakistan’s ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 campaign ended on a damp note.
After drawing the final Test against West Indies — despite winning the opener — the Green Shirts finished at the bottom of the table with just five wins from 14 matches.
White-ball woes
The first limited-overs assignment of the year, a 50-over tri-series at home against New Zealand and South Africa, brought more frustration.
Pakistan reached the final but fell to an unbeaten New Zealand side, extending their streak of underwhelming performances.
Hosting with a twist
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 came to Pakistan, but the tournament had a sour subplot: India played all their matches at a neutral venue in Dubai, continuing the controversial “fusion formula” of avoiding tours between the two nations for three years.
Despite successfully hosting the event, Pakistan’s campaign was disappointing, with defeats to New Zealand and India, while rain washed out their clash against Bangladesh.
Down under disaster
The pain continued in New Zealand, where Pakistan endured a 4-1 T20I series defeat.
This was followed by a 3-0 ODI whitewash, extending their losing streak on foreign soil.
Shaheen’s side strikes gold: Lahore’s PSL treble
In a season that will be remembered for fireworks and fearless cricket, the Lahore Qalandars etched their name deeper into PSL history.
Led by the ever-charismatic Afridi, the Qalandars have now played four PSL finals—and emerged victorious three times, joining Islamabad United as the only teams to claim the title thrice.
The grand finale saw a high-octane clash against Quetta Gladiators, where Shaheen of the Lahore side lit up the scoreboard.
Sikandar Raza dazzled with an all-round masterclass, while Kusal Perera’s match-winning fifty left the Gladiators reeling.
A glimmer of hope at home
Pakistan finally struck back on home turf, whitewashing Bangladesh 3-0 in a T20I series.
But the reprieve was short-lived; in the return series in Bangladesh, the hosts exacted revenge with a 2-1 series win.
Evening out with West Indies
Pakistan and the West Indies shared spoils in dual encounters.
The Green Shirts claimed a 2-1 T20I series win, only to see the Caribbean team retaliate with a 2-1 ODI series victory.
Tri-series triumphs
Confidence returned as Pakistan dominated back-to-back T20 tri-series against the UAE and Afghanistan.
Salman Agha’s side capped it off by defeating Afghanistan in a low-scoring final to claim the crown.
Asia Cup 2025 agony
The ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 belonged to India, who swept Pakistan in all three encounters, including the group-stage clash, Super Four, and grand finale.
The tournament was marred by controversy, from handshake snubs to questionable sportsmanship, and even saw India bypass the ceremonial trophy handover to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Handshake drama and trophy dilemmas: Pakistan-India 2025
The sportsmanship saga between India and Pakistan extended beyond the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025, marking a series of high-profile controversies in cricket.
The tension began in the group-stage clash of the Asia Cup, continued through the Super Four, and culminated in the final, where India defeated Pakistan but chose not to personally accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman and ACC president.
Similar incidents were reported in the Women’s World Cup clash between the two sides and the Hong Kong Super Sixes, major ACC events where handshakes and courtesies were allegedly ignored.
The tensions escalated further when India boycotted playing against Pakistan in the second season of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), refusing to face them in both the group stage and the semifinal.
While India’s on-field performances remained strong, their repeated off-field snubs sparked criticism across media and fan forums, raising questions about the balance between competitive rivalry and basic sportsmanship in cricket.
Leadership shift: From Rizwan to Shaheen
2025 saw Pakistan cricket witness a dramatic shuffle in their white-ball leadership.
The year’s only major captaincy change came when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to relieve wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan of his ODI duties, handing the reins to pacer Shaheen Afridi.
The decision, finalised during an Islamabad meeting between white-ball coach Mike Hesson, Director of High-Performance Aqib Javed, and the selection committee on October 20, aimed to inject fresh energy into the fifty-over squad.
Shaheen, no stranger to captaincy, had previously led Pakistan in T20Is during the New Zealand tour of January 2024.
However, following a 4-1 series defeat to the Blackcaps, he was replaced by Babar Azam, who commanded the side through last year’s T20 World Cup.
Rizwan, who led Pakistan in 20 ODIs with nine wins, had a mixed tenure marked by struggles in T20Is.
The T20 captaincy baton now passes to all-rounder Salman Ali Agha, as Pakistan looks to regroup ahead of their New Zealand tour, closing 2025 with a fresh leadership outlook and hopes for a brighter white-ball future.
Pakistan’s WTC campaign kicks off with highs and lows
The Green Shirts found form in the WTC 2025–27 opener, beating defending champions South Africa in the first Test.
