 "Imran Khan has reacted to Pakistan's Champions Trophy exit. Image: Reuters")
Pakistan suffered an early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after losing back-to-back matches in the group stage. Pakistan are hosting an ICC tournament for the first time since the 1996 Cricket World Cup, which it co-hosted along with India and Sri Lanka. However, the Mohammad Rizwan-led side’s first-round elimination has sparked a wave of reactions from cricketing and political circles.
Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan is among those who have expressed deep disappointment over Pakistan’s performance in the Champions Trophy. Pakistan lost their opening game of the tournament against New Zealand by 60 runs and then went down against arch-rivals India by 6 wickets. This is the third consecutive ICC event where Pakistan have faced a group-stage exit.
Imran Khan slams Pakistan cricket team’s CT 2025 exit
According to Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Pakistan captain was particularly disheartened by the team’s loss against India.
“The PTI founder expressed great sadness over losing the match against India,” Aleema was quoted as saying by PTI.
According to reports, Imran Khan watched the India vs Pakistan clash in jail, where he has been lodged since his arrest in May 2023 on charges of corruption. The 1992 World Cup-winning captain also voiced concerns about the state of Pakistan cricket , stating that the sport would suffer if decisions were made based on favouritism rather than merit.
“Imran said cricket will eventually be destroyed when favourites are put in decision-making positions,” Aleema added.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has placed the blame for Pakistan’s cricketing downfall on Imran Khan himself. In a post on X, Sethi expressed the nation’s frustration over the team’s dismal performance as tournament hosts.
“The nation is justifiably angry. The cricket fraternity says Pakistan has hit rock bottom. How come a cricket team that was once #1 in T20s (2018) and Tests (2016) and ODIs (1990 and 1996), which won the WC in 1992 and CT in 2017, is today equated with Zimbabwe?” Sethi questioned.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“The downfall started in 2019 when a new management under a new PM/Patron changed the domestic cricket structure that had served Pakistan reasonably well for decades and replaced it with an ill-suited Australian hybrid model. Political interference continued; contradictory PCB policies became the norm— foreign coaches were hired and sent packing, selectors were whimsically nominated, old discards were recruited to mentor and manage. Finally, player power, clash of captain egos and groupings in the team came to prevail over fumbling managements! The horrible result is before us,” he added.
In 2019, Imran Khan appointed Ehsan Mani, a former ICC president, as PCB chairman. Later, in 2021, he appointed Ramiz Raja to the same position after Mani opted out of an extension. However, after Imran Khan’s government fell in 2022, Raja was removed, and Sethi returned as PCB chairman. He remained in the position for a few months before former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf took over. Ashraf was then succeeded by the current chairman Mohsin Naqvi.