National team opener Imam-ul-Haq has attributed his exclusion from the Champions Trophy to a dispute over the “captaincy” in the national team.

Indian media has revealed in its reports that while talking to Ultra Age in a podcast, the host asked opener Imam-ul-Haq who is the captain of the team?

To which Imam-ul-Haq laughed, he said that there is a dispute going on in the team over the captaincy, everyone is fighting with each other.

Later, Imam-ul-Haq chose Muhammad Rizwan as the leader, he said that he arranges hotels for the team and gathers all the players for prayers, for this he has even created a WhatsApp group.

Earlier, news had come out that before the Champions Trophy, not everything was fine between Muhammad Rizwan and head coach Aqib Javed, both of them made strategies contrary to each other’s decisions.

Sources told the Express that Mohammad Rizwan was unhappy about not being consulted on important decisions for the Champions Trophy squad. He included Khushdil Shah, but Aqib Javed chose Faheem Ashraf of his own free will.

The selectors and Mohammad Rizwan were also not on the same page before the start of the event.

Before the event, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi asked for a review of the squad twice, but his advice was ignored. The chairman did not consider it appropriate to make changes on his own using his powers.

On the other hand, Aqib Javed does not intend to resign on his own, the board had entrusted him with the responsibility on an interim basis, now he will not remain in the position of head coach.

PCB officials are also very concerned about the form of Babar Azam, who has not been able to perform exceptionally well for a year. Aqib Javed and other selectors are still adamant on their decisions that they have selected the best available players, but the facts are completely opposite.

It should be noted that the national team lost the match against New Zealand at home and then against arch-rivals India in Dubai after a one-sided match, which left cricket fans in a state of shock.

Pakistan’s players have suffered a major setback in the latest ICC rankings after their disappointing performance in the Champions Trophy 2025.

Several key players have seen significant declines in their rankings. Opener Fakhar Zaman has dropped three places to 17th with 621 points.

Pakistan’s white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan, who scored just 3 runs against New Zealand and 46 against India, has slipped from 16th to 20th place and now has 616 points.

Imam-ul-Haq, who scored just 10 runs in his comeback match against India, remains at 32nd place with 582 points.

Opener Saim Ayub, who is out of action after an injury in the Test series against South Africa, has dropped eight places to 35th with 572 points.

Vice-captain Salman Ali Agha is at 46th place with 544 points. He scored 42 against New Zealand and 19 against India.

Virat Kohli returns to top five

India’s star batsman Virat Kohli has moved up one place to fifth after scoring his 51st century against Pakistan in Dubai.

India’s grip on the batting rankings remains strong, with Shubman Gill at the top and Rohit Sharma at the third position. Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam is in second position.

Other notable players include New Zealand’s Will Young (up eight places to 14th), England’s Ben Duckett (up 27 places to 17th) and Rachan Ravindra (up 18 places to 24th).

Pakistani bowlers also drop in bowling rankings

Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who failed to impress in the Champions Trophy, has dropped five places to ninth from fourth with 619 points.

Right-arm fast bowler Haris Rauf has dropped six places to 22nd with 553 points. On the other hand, Naseem Shah has moved up two places to 42nd with 491 points.

Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed has moved up 26 places to 49th.

Performance of other bowlers

Sri Lankan spinner Mahesh Thekshana, who is not participating in the Champions Trophy, remains the number one bowler, while Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan remains in second place.

South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj has moved up one place to fourth, New Zealand’s Matt Henry has moved up two places to sixth and Australia’s Adam Zampa has moved up two places to 10th.

South African pacer Kagiso Rabada has moved up four places to 16th, while New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell has moved up 31 places to 26th.