The Pakistan men’s cricket team used a staggering 79 different players in 56 matches across three formats in 2025, a statistic that lays bare the selection inconsistency that defined a year ending in familiar stagnation.

The team concluded its campaign exactly where it began in the ICC Team Rankings: seventh in Tests, fourth in ODIs, and seventh in T20Is. This standings freeze is a direct mirror of inconsistent on-field performances. In 2025, they played five Tests (W2, L3), 17 ODIs (W7, L10), and 34 T20Is (W21, L13), failing to establish a winning rhythm in any format.

The roots of this prolonged stagnation, however, are deep-seated, tracing back to the administrative rupture at the end of 2022. The dissolution of an elected board in late 2022 and its replacement by two interim management committees derailed the team’s strategic direction.

The data reveals the immediate cost: during the preceding period of stability from 2019-2022, Pakistan maintained a healthy win/loss ratio of 1.18 (73 wins, 62 losses in 147 matches). Under the interim setups, this ratio plummeted to 0.9 (21 wins, 23 losses in 48 matches) – a decline that has defined the team’s trajectory ever since, cementing a new normal of mediocrity.

While a new, elected administration took over in February 2024, its limited cricket knowledge and background have made its mission to fix these underlying issues more complex and protracted than anticipated.

Format-by-Format Breakdown

In the Test arena, Pakistan started 2025 with a defeat at Newlands and later drew a two-Test series with the West Indies to finish ninth and last in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.

Their opening series of the 2025-27 cycle against South Africa in October also ended in a 1-1 draw. This result means Pakistan has won only one of its five home Test series since the interim administration took over in late December 2022, highlighting a critical failure to dominate at home.

The ODI year was a tale of two teams. Away series losses to New Zealand (4-1) and West Indies (2-1) were followed by home victories against South Africa (2-1) and Sri Lanka (3-0). In between was the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 horror, where Pakistan, as defending champions, suffered heavy defeats against New Zealand and India after a loss in the final of a preceding tri-nation series.

In T20Is, ostensibly a format in perpetual preparation for the next year’s World Cup, Pakistan played five bilateral series, winning three (Bangladesh, West Indies and South Africa) and losing two (New Zealand and Bangladesh). While they reached the final of the ACC Asia Cup 2025, they lost three consecutive times to India in the process. They won the tri-series in Rawalpindi, defeating Sri Lanka in the final.

The team’s 34 T20Is in 2025 were the most played in a single calendar year. However, this volume has not translated into proportional success or clear strategic development.

The team’s record of 21 wins and 13 losses, while an improvement over the dismal 2024 campaign (27 matches, 9 wins, 16 losses), pales in comparison to peak efficiency years like 2018 (17 wins, 2 losses in 19 matches) or even the high-volume success of 2022 (20 wins, 6 losses in 29 matches).

The Selection Carousel

Beneath these results raged a storm of inconsistency in team selection. The management, which saw relative stability in captains and coaches, displayed a baffling lack of clarity in player choices.

The scale of the rotation was staggering: 21 players were used in five Tests with 13 featuring in two or fewer matches, 29 in 17 ODIs with 11 appearing in three or fewer games, and another 29 in 34 T20Is with eight participating in four or fewer fixtures. Such constant churn prevents the development of understanding and consistency, making it impossible to build a resilient, settled side.

The most glaring example of this confusion was the Babar Azam saga. Dropped in 2024 for perceived shortcomings, he was recalled for the series against South Africa without any notable domestic performance to justify the U-turn, aggregating 206 runs at a strike rate of 114 in eight matches.

The PCB’s continued silence on both the initial omission and the sudden recall has fueled perceptions of indecision and a chronic lack of strategic clarity.

Diplomacy and Crisis Management

The PCB’s undeniable achievement was hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan’s first ICC event since 1996. The hybrid model, necessitated by India’s refusal to travel, ensured the event’s survival but also underscored Pakistan’s persistent geopolitical challenges in world cricket.

The event showcased upgraded stadiums in Karachi and Lahore, completed in record time. However, Pakistan did not feature at the renovated Gaddafi Stadium after failing to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals, and the renovated Karachi stadium has remained unused for international cricket since the tournament concluded.

A significant diplomatic snub followed when the ICC did not invite a PCB representative to the tournament’s final presentation ceremony. While the presence of the ICC Chairman and representatives from the BCCI and NZC was expected, the conspicuous inclusion of the BCCI Secretary – instead of any PCB official – triggered a worldwide controversy and raised questions of protocol and respect. The ICC has yet to explain.

Internally, the board maintained its pattern of limited public communication. The annual accounts have remained unpublished since 2023, with no official explanations or clarifications provided for major decisions. Furthermore, a series of significant management changes were communicated primarily through media reports rather than official channels.

Against this backdrop, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s international diplomatic and crisis management skills emerged as a singular highlight of the calendar year.

He successfully contested Pakistan’s case on the global stage, ensuring the country retained hosting rights for the ICC Champions Trophy amid geopolitical challenges. His leadership was further tested when Indian cricketers refused to accept the ACC Asia Cup trophy from him as the ACC Chairman – an unprecedented moment in sports diplomacy that he navigated with visible composure.

Furthermore, Naqvi played a critical role in rescuing Sri Lanka’s tour following a security incident in Islamabad, ensuring the series continued and safeguarding Pakistan’s status as a host for international cricket.

A Make-or-Break 2026 Looms

As the curtains fell on Pakistan’s international year in Rawalpindi, a daunting 2026 awaits. It is a potential make-or-break year for the administration, the team, and its philosophy. Pakistan will feature in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and tour England for three crucial ICC World Test Championship matches. The selection chaos, diplomatic slights, and governance opacity of 2025 are not just relics of the past; they are active liabilities.

Overcoming them is no longer a matter of aspiration but a prerequisite for success. The shadow of the 2023 derailment has stretched into 2025; the entire system must now prove it can finally step out from it.