Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has underlined the causes of Pakistan’s inability to advance to the semifinal level in the continuous ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Pakistan, which hosts the event and is the defending champion, became the first team to be dropped following successive losses—first against New Zealand in the curtain-raiser and then against arch-rivals India on February 23 in Dubai. Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting asked whether Pakistan was fully using its top players—especially Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
They have not been able to offer the team their best. Ponting stated, those two men had to step forward and score major runs.
“And they hadn’t been able to do it in the first couple of games, which might be the reason Pakistan didn’t make it to the semi-finals,” he said.
The former batting master also gave Indian sensation Virat Kohli great marks for performance under duress.
“I have always argued that large games call for large players. You need your stars to rise to the occasion, and one versus Pakistan is the only larger game India has.
“Your performance in the most prestigious events on the international scene will help to define you. Thus, it is not surprising to me that Kohli stood up.” he said.
For the uninitiated, Pakistan formally became the first team eliminated from the continuous competition together with Bangladesh. Under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s direction, the Green Shirts won the coveted title in 2017; they started their title defense against New Zealand but failed to have any influence in the competition.
