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Aleema, sister of Imran, said that the charismatic former cricketer, who led Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup title, also questioned the cricketing credentials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Pakistan men’s cricket team at the ICC Champions League 2025 (AP)
Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan was deeply “saddened” and upset with the performance of his country’s team in the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy, according to his sister Aleema Khan.
Hosts Pakistan became the first team to exit the eight-team Champions Trophy after big losses to New Zealand in Karachi and India in Dubai.
Pakistan lost to India by a margin of six wickets in Dubai on Sunday to follow their 60-run loss to New Zealand in the tournament opener in Karachi. Only the top two teams among India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh could’ve reached the semis.
Pakistan’s slender hope relied upon Bangladesh beating the Black Caps by a big margin and then the Men in Green taking down the Tigers.
But NZ’s triumphant win over the Bangladesh squad meant that India and New Zealand sat at four points each, which Pakistan and Bangladesh, who only have one match against each other, can not equalize, hence ruling them out of the semi-finals.
The shocking exit of the hosts triggered legends of the Pakistan team to come out and express their disgust, dismay and disbelief at the outcome, with news from former Pakistan skipper and former PM Imran Khan also having felt disappointed at the result.
“The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) founder expressed great sadness over losing the match against India,” Aleema, sister of Imran Khan, told the media outside Adiala Jail Rawalpindi after meeting Imran.
Aleema said that the charismatic former cricketer, who led Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup title, also questioned the cricketing credentials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
“Imran said cricket will be eventually destroyed when favourites are put in decision-making positions,” said Aleema, adding that the cricketer-turned-politician watched the match between the arch-foes.
Legendary former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram also echoed similar emotions, terming the latest setback as the tipping point, demanding drastic steps to revitalize their dipping fortunes in white-ball cricket.
“Drastic steps (required). Enough is Enough,” Akram said on Sports Central. “We’ve been losing in white-ball cricket for a couple of years with the same players. The time has come to take a bold step which is to bring in young players. Bring fearless cricketers for white-ball cricket. If you have to make 5-6 changes, go ahead. You may lose for the next six months, keep backing them. Start building a team for the 2026 T20 World Cup right away.”
The Bangladesh-Pakistan match on February 27 is now a mere formality, though the hosts would want to avoid further humiliation and win at least one match in front of their thunderous home crowd.
(with agency inputs)
