Senior Pakistan Players Anticipated To Withdraw From New Zealand Tour In Wake Of Hosts’ Champions Trophy Fallout | Reports

In the wake of Pakistan Cricket’s fallout on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, some of the host team’s senior players are reportedly expected to skip the upcoming New Zealand white-ball tour. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side’s winless campaign at the marquee ICC tournament caused a stir all over, with the hosts becoming one of the first teams to be kicked out of the tournament.

Pakistan Cricket reached a new low when it became the first team to be kicked out of the ICC Champions Trophy. It was a disaster for the team, as the host nation was eliminated from the competition. PAK suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of New Zealand and India, which was a huge setback for the team. The Mohammad Rizwan-led team, as well as the PCB, came under fire for their early exit from the ICC tournament, something they hosted after a prolonged gap.

After Pakistan’s winless run in the Champions Trophy 2025, some players are contemplating pulling their names out of the upcoming white-ball tour in New Zealand. The players include former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are reportedly contemplating whether they should pull their names out of the upcoming NZ tour.

“These players know that they are most likely to be dropped by the selectors who will now want to try out new faces so they are thinking about withdrawing themselves and are in consultations with their agents to make the next move,” a source who is aware of the developments in the PCB said, as quoted by PTI.

The reports added that the future of skipper Mohammad Rizwan also gets murkier as the selectors may suggest PCB supremo Mohsin Naqvi to opt for some new stars in the mix in the T20 squad for the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be hosted at India and Sri Lanka.   

PCB’s interim head coach, Aqib Javed, is also under consideration to work in some capacity at Pakistan’s Cricket Academy in Lahore. The PCB is looking to fit him in a role after his run as the head coach ended after their CT campaign.

“Aaqib whose tenure as interim head coach has concluded is now being considered to work at the national cricket academy in Lahore in a senior position but due to the resignations of Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillispie, the PCB had asked Aaqib to take over as interim head coach,” the source added.

Pakistan will be in action in New Zealand where they will lock horns against the Blackcaps in a white-ball tour, which will feature five T20Is and three ODI matches. The series will take place from March 16 to April 5, 2025.