A Dead Rubber: Pakistan and Bangladesh Clash in Champions Trophy 2025

At this stage of a multi-team tournament, the battle for qualification typically intensifies, but not today. In the penultimate Group A match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan and Bangladesh face off in a game with nothing at stake. Both teams have been outclassed by India and New Zealand, eliminating them from semifinal contention.

This match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is merely a formality, offering both sides a chance to restore some pride. Pakistan has been mediocre across all departments, while Bangladesh showed some fight with the ball but lacked the batting strength to post competitive totals.

Batting Struggles Define Their Campaigns

Both teams have struggled to adapt to modern ODI cricket, where 350-plus totals are becoming the norm. Pakistan and Bangladesh, however, failed to breach 270 in any of their matches. Bangladesh managed only 228 and 240 while batting first, whereas Pakistan posted 260 in a chase of 321 and 241 when setting a target. These underwhelming scores highlighted their batting frailties and left them far behind in the race for the semifinals.

What to Expect in Rawalpindi?

With rain predicted for the day, the match could see interruptions or even an abandonment, mirroring the fate of the Australia vs South Africa clash earlier in the tournament. If play goes ahead, Pakistan might make changes to their XI, giving chances to players like Kamran Ghulam, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Hasnain, and Usman Khan. Bangladesh, on the other hand, is likely to stick to the same lineup that played against New Zealand.

Probable Playing XIs

Pakistan:

Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

Bangladesh:

Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mustafizur Rahman

Milestones & Records

  • First-ever meeting between Pakistan and Bangladesh in a Champions Trophy match.
  • Bangladesh holds the record for the most dot balls (181) in a single match this tournament (vs New Zealand).
  • Pakistan's scoring rate of 4.84 in the first 10 overs since January 2023 is the second lowest among Champions Trophy teams, ahead of only Afghanistan (4.5).

What They Said

"I said a lot of times that we need to improve a lot as a batting unit, but we did the same mistakes over and over. We have to really focus on how we want to improve our batting. I hope after this tournament, we will make some changes and think in a different way."
— Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh captain

While the stakes are low, both teams will aim to give their fans something to cheer about in their final appearance in this year's Champions Trophy.