Senior Pakistan players consider 'skipping' New Zealand tour

LAHORE: Several senior Pakistan cricketers are contemplating withdrawing from the upcoming tour of New Zealand to avoid the possibility of being dropped, sources revealed on Friday.

According to the insiders, a few players have initiated discussions about taking a "break" from the series, which comprises five T20Is and three ODIs, set to be played from March 16 to April 5.

The concerns stem from their underwhelming performances in the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy, which have left the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials dissatisfied.

The sources suggest that certain players fear being labelled as "dropped" and are exploring the option of voluntarily withdrawing from the squad instead.

Speculations regarding potential exclusions have intensified, with reports indicating that key players such as Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Babar Azam could be at risk.

Pakistan ended their campaign in the home Champions Trophy without a win after rain washed out their dead rubber against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

It has been a forgettable campaign for Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan in the first global tournament to be staged in the country since 1996 and their six-wicket defeat by arch-rivals India will particularly hurt.

The team's humiliating run and early elimination from the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, it seems, has not only invited widespread criticism from fans and the cricket fraternity but also raised eyebrows in Islamabad.

"The prime minister will personally take notice and we will also ask him to raise these [cricket-related] issues in the cabinet as well as in parliament," PM Shehbaz Sharif's aide on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said while speaking on Geo News' programme "Geo Pakistan".