Champions Trophy 2025: SWOT Analysis of Pakistan's – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

Defending champions Pakistan are set to play in front of their home fans during the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan will lead the side with some seasoned campaigners like Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi in the side. 

The Men in Green haven’t had a great lead up to the series after they lost the finals of the Tri-series to New Zealand. Pakistan though can take solace from the fact that they chased down a massive 353 run score in their final group match against South Africa. Rizwan and Salman Agha scored centuries to help their side achieve the huge target. 

In the last few months, Pakistan have been one of the best sides in the ODI format. They managed to beat Australia in their home with a 2 -1 margin. This was followed by wins against Zimbabwe and South Africa all playing at home. This will serve as a huge boost for the defending champions as they head into a huge tournament. 

Also read : Champions Trophy 2025: SWOT Analysis of India's – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

Here is Pakistan’s SWOT analysis for Champions Trophy 2025

Strengths – playing in home conditions and world class fast bowling unit 

One of the biggest strengths for Pakistan will playing the upcoming Champions Trophy is that they will be familiar with the home conditions. The Men in Green may have stumbled to a few losses at home but have an amazing record when they play in front of their home fans. The second biggest strength for Pakistan is their pace bowling unit which consists of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf. The trio not only have good pace but also can trouble the batters with their swing with the new ball. 

Weakness – Babar Azam’s lack of form 

Pakistan’s biggest weakness right now is Babar Azam’s lack of form with the bat. The 30-year-old hasn’t scored an ODI ton since 2023. Babar Azam played six ODI matches in 2024 and scored 228 runs with a best of 73, this year, Babar played three ODI matches. With a total of just 62 runs his form has come under severe questions and to make matters worse, the team management has asked the former skipper to open the batting. 

Opportunities – Chance for old guard and support players to shine 

Mohammad Rizwan has been touted as one of the most astute captains to come out of Pakistan recently. The likes of Saud Shakeel, Khushdil Shah, Salman Agha, Kamran Ghulam, and Fakhar Zaman have shown great skills with the bat. Tayyab Tahir is another player who has been touted as an exciting prospect in the white-ball format. With such players in the team one can hope that the aforementioned players can put their hands up and come good. 

Threats – old habits of self-destructing at crucial moments 

Despite having all some of the best talents, Pakistan tends to self-destruct at crucial moments in the tournament. One of the best examples was the loss to India while chasing 120 to win during the T20 World Cup last year. Pakistani players namely the batters tend to lose the plot in big ICC tournaments while the fielding also comes under huge pressure. There have been many instances where the internal bickering has also played its part and Pakistan cannot afford this if they have to defend their crown.