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Mohammad Rizwan And...? 3 Pakistan Players Who Might Play Their Last Champions Trophy

Aashay Chopade

Babar Azam and Rizwan together for Pakistan (Source:@thesportsbreeze/X.com)Babar Azam and Rizwan together for Pakistan (Source:@thesportsbreeze/X.com)

The Champions Trophy is back after the gap of eight years and most of the matches will be played at the home of reigning champions, Pakistan. There is lot of excitement around Pakistan for the mega event, and would be hoping to defend their title with a strong performance.

Also, the Men In Green have done well in ODIs since Mohammad Rizwan has taken over and have whitewashed Australia and South Africa at home. So, there is lot of positivety around the Pakistan camp after a long time, and despite some injury hiccups they are one of the favourtes to lift the trophy.

It is also probably the last Champions Trophy for few of their star cricketers, with the next edition to be played in 2029. Keeping it in mind, here are the three Pakistan players who might play their last Champions Trophy in 2025.

1. Mohammad Rizwan

The wicketkeeper batter is an important asset for Pakistan across formats, and is now their white-ball skipper. He is doing well both as a batter and as a leader, and will play a key role for Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2025. However, Pakistan cricket is known for its volatile nature and there are known to make some surprising changes.

Rizwan has so far played 83 matches where he has scored 2352 runs at an average of 41.26 with three hundreds and 15 fifties and is likely to lead Pakistan till 2027 ODI World Cup if all goes well. However, he is 32 year-old now and it would be hard for him to last till 2029 Champions Trophy as teams tend to rebuild after each World Cup.

Also, Pakistan is a country full of talent and if Rizwan does not maintain his consistent form till 2029, it would be pretty hard for him to challenge youngsters at that age. Also, white-ball cricket is changing fast and Rizwan's style of play where he takes time to build the innings could get redundant by 2029.

2. Haris Rauf

Haris Rauf is a fast bowler and like many of them, he has always been haunted by injuries. Recently he missed lot of cricket due to a shoulder injury and has suffered plenty of inuries on different part of his body in the past. The fast bowler is now 31-year-old and by the time next Champions Trophy pops up, he might be in a position where he would priortitse T20 cricket to manage his body.

Fast bowlers generally retire in their mid 30s, so despite Rauf doing well in the last couple of series, it would be pretty hard for him to sustain his fitness and performance to the same level after four years. Also, Pakistan have lot of fast bowlers at their arsenal and they might prefer younger players in the longer format and use Rauf if they need in the shortest format.

3. Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar Zaman is now 34 year-old and has blown hot and cold throughout his career and was also the player of the match in 2017 Champions Trophy. When the left-hander gets going, he is a match-winner and that makes him an irresistible talent. He did not play last few series for Pakistan due to his controversial post on X regarding Babar Azam, but there are reports that he would be back for Champions Trophy.

However, given inconsistency in his batting, and age already approaching mid 30s, it is unlikely that he would be part of the Champions Trophy 2025 squad. Pakistan have already unearthed a talented aggressive opener in the form of Saim Ayub and given all these factors, Champions Trophy 2025 is likely to be Fakhar Zaman's last.