Islamabad, Feb 26 2025: Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Najam Sethi, has voiced his concerns over the poor performance of Pakistan team in the Champions Trophy 2025.
Attributing the decline to flawed policies and mismanagement, Najam Sethi stated that the national team’s downfall began when his setup was replaced in 2019.
Sethi questioned how a team that once led T20, Test, and ODI rankings and won the 1992 World Cup and 2017 Champions Trophy is now compared to lower-ranked sides.
The former PCB chairman pointed to 2019 as the turning point, when a new PCB management, under a different Prime Minister, altered the domestic cricket structure.
Sethi added that the then government replaced the traditional system with an Australian hybrid model, which not only weakened the team but also shook the entire system.
He said that political interference, inconsistent policies, and frequent changes in coaching staff and selection committees further destabilized the team.
Sethi also criticized the recruitment of previously discarded players in leadership roles and the rise of player power, which led to captaincy conflicts and internal divisions.
It is worth mentioning that the Men in Green were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions Trophy 2024 after losing their first two games against New Zealand and India.
The Green Shirts will face Bangladesh in their last group-stage match on February 28 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
