Champions Trophy 2025 is just a month away and teams have started preparing their squads for the ICC tournament. While all the teams have officially announced their squads, India and Pakistan are yet to do so.
According to reports, Pakistan have submitted their preliminary list of players but will whittle down the squad to 15 players by February 10. The Men in Green have opted for a young squad and lacks the experience of veteran goalkeeper Sarfaraz. Ahmed in it.
However, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has a new role for Sarfaraz Ahmed in the upcoming Champions Trophy. Basit wants Sarfaraz Ahmed to be appointed as a mentor and has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board to take action soon.
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Simplu Ali has a new role for Sarfaraz Ahmed
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali asked the PCB to learn from the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and appoint a mentor for the Champions Trophy. He named Sarfaraz Ahmed for the role as he has the experience of beating India in the Champions Trophy 2017 final.
“Afghanistan has appointed the great Younis Khan as a mentor, who is a good choice. The people of Pakistan need to sleep and so does the council. They need a mentor against India, someone who won you the Champions Trophy last time: Sarfaraz Ahmed,” said Basit.
“In this match, Sarfaraz's suggestions will work. He has the experience of lifting the trophy against them. I will not take someone else's name. He led the team to victory,” he added.
Under the leadership of Sarfaraz Ahmed, Pakistan won the 2017 Champions Trophy after defeating arch-rivals India in the final. The Men in Green went into the final as underdogs but stunned India on the historic occasion.
Afghanistan rope in Younis Khan as mentor
The ACB recently appointed Pakistan's legendary batsman Younis Khan as Afghanistan's mentor for the upcoming Champions Trophy to help the team get used to the local conditions. The ACB has previously chosen players from the host nations as mentors for certain ICC tournaments.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India, Ajay Jadeja was involved as a mentor as Afghanistan recorded historic wins against Pakistan and England in the tournament. Jadeja's experience in the local conditions helped the team get used to it.
In the T20 World Cup 2024, Afghanistan had Dwayne Bravo as their mentor as the tournament was held in the West Indies. Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the tournament with their best ever result in a senior ICC event.
Champions Trophy 2025 schedule
The 2025 Champions Trophy will be played between February 19 and March 9. The big match between India and Pakistan will be played on February 23 in Dubai. India and Pakistan are in Group A alongside Bangladesh and New Zealand.
The other group includes England, Australia, South Africa and Afghanistan. The tournament will begin with hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi. India's first match will be against Bangladesh on February 20.