"He is a different Babar to the one....": Former skipper Sarfaraz on Pakistan star ahead of Champions Trophy

Islamabad [Pakistan], February 13 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, the winning captain of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, spoke on how batting of openers Fakhar Zaman and a more "mature" Babar Azam will help the hosts in their title defence starting from February 19 onwards.
Pakistan will kickstart the Champions Trophy with the tournament opener against New Zealand at Karachi on February 19. This time around, Pakistan is going with the duo of Fakhar, the team's centurion in the 2017 final against arch-rivals India, and Babar as openers.
Speaking on the team composition, Sarfaraz, who last played an ODI for Pakistan back in 2021 and an international match in 2023, said as quoted by ICC, "Pakistan has a really good chance of defending that title and I think they have a strong team. Some of the boys from 2017 are still there and we are talking about some of the best - especially Babar Azam."
"He is a different Babar to the one that played in 2017, a more mature player and a dominant player in the game. His batting will be so important for Pakistan and so will Fakhar Zaman's."
However, Babar is under scrutiny for his form, having last hit an ODI century against Nepal during the Asia Cup in August 2023. It was also his last international century and has been struggling with his conversion rate across all formats. Across the last eight ODIs since 2024, Babar has made 261 runs in eight innings at an average of 43.50, with two half-centuries and best score of 73.
Fakhar, on the other hand, has been in red-hot form since 2023. Since then, he has played 22 ODIs, scoring 989 runs at an average of 52.05 and a strike rate of around 96, with four centuries and three fifties. If Babar is known for calculated risks, it is Fakhar who takes the game on since ball one.
He also said that pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are also performing well.
"The captain, Mohammad Rizwan, is also a wicketkeeper-batter, which worked pretty well for me back in 2017," he added.
Ahead of the intense, blockbuster clash against arch-rivals India at Dubai on February 23, Sarfaraz wants Men in Green to play intense but smart cricket against arch-rivals India on February 23, when the two sides face off in Dubai.
"Whenever we meet, it is a special occasion and there is so much hype and pressure around it. But as players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out, and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team," said the former batter.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 marks the tournament's return after an eight-year hiatus and is set to take place in Pakistan, starting February 19th. As the host nation and defending champions, Pakistan will compete against seven of the world's best teams to retain their title.
The eight teams are divided into two groups for the tournament's opening stage. Each team will play three group-stage matches, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
Group A features Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.
Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Pakistan fixtures for Champions Trophy: Against New Zealand (February 19 at Karachi), India (February 23 at Dubai and Bangladesh (February 27 at Rawalpindi). (ANI)