Former Australia captain Michael Clarke expressed his surprise over Pakistan's playing XI in their Champions Trophy match against India on Sunday. Pakistan made just one change to their side as injured batter Fakhar Zaman, who was ruled out of the tournament after the loss to New Zealand in the tournament opener, was replaced by fellow opener Imam-ul-Haq, who was not part of the initial squad. After India beat Pakistan by 6 wickets, Clarke suggested that he couldn't comprehend the fact that the Mohammed Rizwan-led side made just one change to their XI despite playing under different conditions.
"Pakistan have struggled to deal with the expectation and pressure of playing a major tournament in their backyard. So before a ball was delivered, I could not comprehend how they could. Apart from one change due to injury, Fakhar Zaman was out with that injury sustained in the first game, they made no other changes. They're playing in entirely different conditions. The conditions in Dubai on that pitch are virtually the opposite of what they just played against New Zealand, yet just one force changed. I could not believe what I was watching," Clarks said on YouTube show Beyond 23.
Clarke also questioned Pakistan over their lack of planning, saying that the match was over even before India began their chase in Dubai.
"It's okay to have a bad plan, but a bad plan is better than no plan. Pakistan, to me, I don't know what their plan was. I don't know what their plan was with selection. I don't know their plan with how they went about the start of their innings. I don't know what their plan was against spin, which they, you know, are very good spin players. I don't know what their plan was to beat India. You can't turn up to the biggest game of the tournament. It was like a final for these two teams without a plan, and that's how it looked to me," he added.
Clarke explained that since Pakistan are hosting the competition, the fear of failure and expectations have led to their downfall.
"I go back to the start of the tournament, when I said that would be my biggest concern with Pakistan. It's not talent; it's not potential. They have plenty of it. But unfortunately, I think they're gone. I don't think they can make the top four now. To me, this is probably the tournament I'm looking closer at Pakistan than any other ICC tournament. I know this game was in Dubai, but virtually, it's been their second cricketing home when they haven't been able to play inside Pakistan, so they know those conditions so well. The game against New Zealand-they just played New Zealand and South Africa in a tri-series-their preparation and form were perfect. Leading into this tournament, it would only be the mind, the expectation, and that fear of failure that would set them back or let them down. And again, it's not just performance or winning and losing; it's how you're winning and how you're losing. Sometimes, as a captain, senior player, coach, or administrator, you've got to look at. If you keep making the same mistakes or expecting to, you know, pick the same 11 and get different results, play the same brand of cricket and get different results, or make the same decision to get different results, it can't happen," Clarke pointed out.
source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/pakistan-accused-of-going-in-with-no-plan-vs-india-at-champions-trophy-2025-by-world-cup-winning-captain-7784914
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