 "'Even if you make MS Dhoni captain...': Former captain shows mirror to Team Pakistan after Champions Trophy exit")
Former Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir has delivered a scathing assessment of the national men’s team following their early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 . In a brutally honest critique, Mir stated that even a legendary leader like Mahendra Singh Dhoni would have struggled to change the team’s fortunes in the ongoing tournament due to poor squad selection.
Pakistan, the hosts of the eight-team tournament, suffered back-to-back defeats against New Zealand and arch-rivals India, leading to their embarrassing group-stage elimination. The performance has sparked outrage among fans and experts , with Mir becoming the latest to voice her concerns.
Sana Mir says team selection is the reason Pakistan got eliminated
Speaking on the Pakistani TV show Game On Hai, Sana Mir dismissed the notion that leadership was the main issue, emphasising that the squad was wrongly picked.
“The 15 that have been selected (in Champions Trophy squad), even if you make MS Dhoni or (former Pakistan skipper) Younis Khan captain, nobody can do anything to the team because it has not been selected on the basis of the playing conditions,” Mir remarked on the show.
Pakistan succumbed to a six-wicket defeat against rivals India, a defeat that left fans deeply frustrated. Mir revealed that she had already predicted the team’s downfall when the squad was first announced.
“I was watching the match when I got a message from a friend that India are 100 for 2 ‘I think it’s over’. So, I said the match was over when the squad was announced,” she added.
Mir, who played over 300 white-ball matches as an off-spinner, pointed out glaring selection errors that put Pakistan at a disadvantage even before the tournament began.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Half the tournament we had lost when we announced the 15-member squad, and I am saying this from day one. They (selectors) knew that Pakistan had to play at least one match in Dubai, so how did you bring two part-time spinners,” she said.
Pakistan are scheduled to play their final group-stage game against Bangladesh on 27 February. Both teams will be looking for a consolation win after their early exit from the Champions Trophy 2025.