Babar Azam At 3, Shaheen Afridi To Open Bowling; Worst Playing XI Of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Babar and Shaheen failed in Champions Trophy [Source: AP]

On Sunday evening, the ICC Champions Trophy marked its conclusion, with India emerging victorious by swatting aside New Zealand in a tense final at Dubai International Stadium. There were several players who excelled in the competition, taking the cricketing world by storm. 

Meanwhile, some players unexpectedly failed at the highest stage, letting down their teams and fans. As the tournament has concluded, here's an XI of those players who couldn't live up to the expectations. 

Top order: Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Babar Azam

(Stats of Salt, Gurbaz and Babar in Champions Trophy)

• Explosive keeper-batters Phil Salt and Rahmanullah Gurbaz had terrible Champions Trophy campaigns, as evidenced by the above stats. Their flaws against the moving ball were well exploited by the opponent pacers. 
• Meanwhile, although Babar Azam scored 87 runs in two outings, his strike rate woes earned him massive backlash from all corners of the world. His fifty came at a huge cost, with New Zealand defeating Pakistan in the opening game. 
• So, as Babar's numbers were well below his standards, he makes it into the worst XI of the Champions Trophy. 

Middle Order: Rizwan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Jos Buttler

(Stats of Rizwan, Rahim and Buttler in CT 2025)

• Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan had a torrid run in the Champions Trophy. Apart from his timid batting approach, Rizwan was slammed for tactical blunders, eventually entering the worst XI. 
• On the other hand, Rahim failed miserably in the tournament, while Buttler was nowhere close to his best with the bat. Therefore, both these players make it into our XI as the middle-order batters. 

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All-Rounder: Marco Jansen

(Jansen's poor numbers in CT 2025)

• South Africa had huge expectations from Marco Jansen, who let them down with his modest performances. While he could contribute only three runs, Jansen had a horrible tournament with the ball as well. 
• In the must-win semifinal clash, Jansen conceded 79 runs and went wicketless, making it into our worst Champions Trophy XI. 

Bowlers: Rashid, Shaheen Afridi, Ellis, Fazalhaq Farooqi

(Stats of Rashid, Shaheen, Ellis and Farooqi)

• Ace Afghan spinner Rashid Khan was underwhelming with the ball, as he could scalp a single wicket in the Champions Trophy. His long-time colleague Fazalhaq Farooqi was also disappointing, bagging two wickets at a horrible average and strike rate. 
• Experienced Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi let down his team, managing only two wickets at a horrendous economy of 7.88. Meanwhile, Australia's Nathan Ellis was decent on the economical front but took only three wickets at a strike rate of 60. 

Worst Playing XI Of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Mushfiqur Rahim, Jos Buttler, Marco Jansen, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Nathan Ellis, Fazalhaq Farooqi

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