Ahmed Shehzad accuses Babar Azam of favoritism in team selection

The Pakistan Cricket Team has faced yet another setback after being eliminated from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The Men in Green suffered consecutive defeats against New Zealand and India, which sealed their exit from the tournament before their final group-stage match against Bangladesh. Following Pakistan’s disappointing performance, former cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has accused Babar Azam of favoritism, claiming that deserving players were overlooked in team selection.

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Former Pakistan cricketer criticizes team selection after Champions Trophy exit

Babar Azam led Pakistan as captain until the 2024 T20 World Cup, after which Mohammad Rizwan took over the leadership role. However, despite the change in captaincy, the team continues to face criticism for its inconsistent performances. Babar, in particular, has come under fire for his individual form and alleged favoritism in selecting players. Shehzad, who has been out of the national squad for a long time, has openly criticized the star batter, blaming him for selecting friends over deserving performers.

“It’s sad to see him in this condition. When he started his career, it seemed he would break all records for Pakistan. But now, everything is in front of you—players don’t fail for this long. It was a mistake to make a performer the captain. After becoming captain, he surrounded himself with friends and selected them for the team, disregarding merit. When you favour friends over deserving players, the wheels of domestic cricket stop turning, as genuine performers don’t get enough chances,” Shehzad told India Today.

Shehzad further claimed that favoritism has significantly impacted the team’s performance, as many talented players from domestic cricket have been continuously ignored in favor of a close-knit group of individuals. According to him, this selection bias has stalled the progress of Pakistan’s cricketing system, preventing fresh talent from getting opportunities at the highest level.

“Political interference has always been there; there’s no doubt. But the condition of the team is not because of the last two years—this has been happening for a while now. When you don’t bring in reforms, when you don’t honour merit, and when you don’t control indiscipline in the team, sooner or later, these results will come,” Shehzad added.

With Pakistan now out of the Champions Trophy, the focus has shifted to rebuilding the squad and addressing the internal issues that have plagued the team. The upcoming matches and future selection decisions will determine whether the team management takes Shehzad’s criticism seriously and implements changes to restore Pakistan’s cricketing fortunes.

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