After losing the first game, Pakistan produced a remarkable turnaround by winning four games (while fielding three debutants) on the trot to clinch the 2017 Champions Trophy.
Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk)
The last captain to lead Pakistan to a global title and the hero of the chase against Sri Lanka in the tournament, Sarfaraz lost his place to Mohammad Rizwan, who will lead them in the 2025 edition. Sarfaraz has been with the Test squad as reserve keeper for some time and even replaced Rizwan in the XI, but has not played limited-overs internationals since 2021. However, in domestic cricket, he is both an active player and one of the five mentors appointed by the PSL.
Imad Wasim (vc)
A much sought-after cricketer in franchise leagues, Imad was named the Player of the Match in the 2024 PSL final for his five-wicket haul. He came out of retirement shortly afterwards, played in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and retired shortly afterwards.
Mohammad Amir
Seven years after his career was rocked by a spot-fixing incident at London, Amir emerged as a hero in the same city by taking out India’s famed top three in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. By mid-2020, his cricket career was reduced to franchise leagues until he unretired, played in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and retired again a la Imad.
Shoaib Malik
By playing until 2021, Malik joined a small group of cricketers who played at international level in four decades. His professional career – older than T20 cricket – is yet to be over, for he was a regular even in 2024, in the BPL, the PSL, and the Champions T20 Cup. LIke Sarfaraz, he is among the five PSL-appointed mentors.
Mohammad Hafeez
“The Professor” has not played professional cricket since 2023, six years after his blazing cameo in the death overs helped Pakistan reach 338-4. but he did have a curious run as the director of the Pakistan senior men’s side – a stint that began abruptly in November 2023 and ended just as abruptly in February 2024.
Babar Azam
Back then, Babar was a young batter with immense promise. Over the next eight years, he has gone through two stints as national captain and a period of time where he could be hailed among the greatest batters in contemporary cricket – something he can still lay claims to at least in ODIs. Failures followed, but having put that behind him, he is set to embark upon what will surely be a defining phase of his career.
Ahmed Shehzad
The first Pakistani to score hundreds in all three formats, Shehzad has not played international cricket since 2019 – or in the PSL since 2020 (he retired in 2023 after accusing all six franchises of “deliberate effort” to keep him out). It has not been about form – he averaged 51.25 in first-class cricket in 2021-22, and, after missing two seasons, 68.63 in 2023-24. In August 2024, he opted out of the Champions Cup, accusing the PCB of “injustice and favouritism”.
Azhar Ali
It is often forgotten that Azhar made fifties (and helped put on century stands) in both the semi-final and the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy. He played only three ODIs since then, but finished with 7,142 Test runs – the fifth-most for Pakistan. Azhar was part of the new selection panel that, appointed midway through the England series of 2024-25, helped turn a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 victory. While continuing with that role, Azhar is also serving as the PCB’s head of youth development.
Hassan Ali
The leading wicket-taker and the Player of the Tournament of the 2017 Champions Trophy, Hassan had an exceptional 2021 but lost form in 2022, and was an active international cricketer until May 2024. He played for Warwickshire that summer, for whom he will return in 2025. While probably not in the national mix, he is not too far away from a return either.
Junaid Khan
Junaid has not played for Pakistan since 2019, and professional cricket since 2022. When Mohammad Wasim was named head coach of the Pakistan women’s team, Junaid was named an assistant coach.
Haris Sohail
Picked to play for the ODIs against New Zealand at home in May 2023, Haris injured his shoulder and was ruled out of the series. Despite the many changes to the side, he has not played for them again – or even professional cricket since that year. There were rumours around his retirement, which he dismissed in November 2024.
Shadab Khan
The baby of the champion side, Shadab came into the tournament with only three ODIs under his belt. There, he became the youngest to play an ICC ODI final. Over the years, he emerged as the vice-captain of the side, and established himself as a T20 mainstay, both in the national side as well as in franchise leagues. Still only 26, he is active in domestic and league cricket.
Fakhar Zaman
One of Pakistan’s three debutants in the tournament, Fakhar made a dazzling fifty in the semi-final and an even more memorable hundred in the final. His extreme career – several astonishing innings punctuated by strings of failures – have resulted in him being in and out of the side. He is part of the 2025 Champions Trophy squad.
Faheem Ashraf
Another 2017 Champions Trophy debutant, Faheem is – like Fakhar – part of the squad for the 2025 edition. Despite not having played for Pakistan in any format since 2023 (though he led them in the 2024 Hong Kong Super Sixes), Faheem has been active in domestic cricket, and even played in the 2025 BPL.
Rumman Raees
Called up after Wahab Riaz was ruled out after one game, Rumman made his ODI debut in the semi-final of the 2017 Champions Trophy. He missed the final, and has not played for Pakistan (or any domestic cricket other than PSL) since 2018. However, he did turn up for Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10 in November 2025.
Wahab Riaz
Ruled out after the first game of the 2017 Champions Trophy, Wahab was an active domestic cricketer when he was named the caretaker sports minister of Punjab in January 2023. Two months later, he was named sports and youth affairs advisor to the Punjab chief minister (though he could not take his oath because it coincided with the PSL). In August, he retired from international cricket. In November, he was named chief selector of the men’s team. In July 2024, he was sacked from that post.
