The year 2025 proved to be a disappointing one for Pakistan cricket. Despite having home advantage, the team failed to lift the Champions Trophy and also fell short in their Asia Cup campaign.
Frequent changes in leadership added to the instability, with multiple captaincy switches during the year. To make matters worse, several senior players were unable to deliver performances that matched expectations.
Babar Azam
2025 was a tough phase for former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who struggled to find his usual rhythm. For much of the year, runs were hard to come by across formats, although there were glimpses of improvement in ODIs towards the latter stages.
In 17 ODI appearances, Babar accumulated 544 runs at an average of 34, registering one hundred and three fifties. His T20 outings were inconsistent, as he moved in and out of the side and managed only 206 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 114. Babar’s Test numbers were better on paper – 315 runs from 10 innings at an average of 54 – but the absence of a century remained a major talking point.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Afridi endured a difficult year, particularly in the 50-over format. He picked up just 16 wickets in 12 ODIs, while conceding runs at an economy rate exceeding six. His T20 impact also dipped compared to the previous season, finishing with 26 wickets in 21 matches after claiming 36 wickets the year before. Test cricket did not offer much relief either. Still, Afridi ended 2025 on a positive note by being named Pakistan’s ODI captain.
Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan began the year leading the ODI side and delivered solid performances with the bat. He scored 569 runs in 17 ODIs at an impressive average of 43. Surprisingly, he did not feature in a single T20 match throughout the year. Rizwan was effective in Tests as well, scoring 360 runs from 10 innings at an average of 51. Despite finishing the year strongly, he was eventually relieved of the ODI captaincy, which was handed over to Shaheen Afridi.
Haris Rauf
Haris Rauf had limited opportunities in ODIs, playing just nine matches and taking 15 wickets, though his economy rate hovered around six. In T20 cricket, he claimed 23 wickets from 15 games, but his high economy rate of over nine highlighted his struggles to contain runs in the shortest format.
Salman Agha
Salman Agha, who captained Pakistan in T20Is, failed to make a strong impact either as a leader or a batter. Across 32 T20 innings, he scored 625 runs at an average of 26 with a strike rate of 115, numbers that reflected a lack of tempo despite five half-centuries. His ODI form was more encouraging, as he amassed 667 runs in 16 innings at an average of 37, including two centuries. However, Test cricket remained a challenge, with Salman unable to convert starts into meaningful scores.
