Hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh have had several similarities in their disappointing ICC Champions Trophy exits.

It means three players from India occupy spots inside the top five.

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar slammed Babar Azam for his showings in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, calling him ‘a fraud’, and also put the Pakistan team on blast for their lacklustre performance.

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has come down hard on the right-hander, calling his batting style outdated and reminiscent of the 1980s.

New Zealand underlined their title aspirations with a 60-run victory against defending champions Pakistan in a Group A match of the Champions Trophy at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

In what will be Pakistan’s first ICC tournament played on home soil since 1996, there is a lot on the line for this team.

Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam is going through a lean patch with the bat in ODIs, having not scored a hundred in the format for over two years.

Sarfaraz, who was the captain of the Pakistan side that lifted the Champions Trophy in 2017, wants the Men in Green to play intense but smart cricket against arch-rivals India on February 23, when the two sides face-off in Dubai.

Mohammad Rizwan will lead the team, having done so since Babar Azam stepped down from the role after the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2023. This is the first 50-over ICC tournament since then.

Shan Masood and Babar Azam shared a record opening partnership as Pakistan fought back after conceding a 421-run first innings deficit on the third day of the second Test against at Newlands on Sunday.

Pakistan recalled former skipper Babar Azam on Wednesday for the away Test series and white-ball matches against South Africa starting next week, but there was no place for spinner Sajid Khan.

“You know, when you look at (Babar’s) numbers, it's been a bit like the stuff that we were talking about with Virat [Kohli] earlier on,” Ponting said

Asked about Babar's future, Shan told the BBC's 'Stumped' podcast on Saturday: "I think he's one of the best batsmen in the world. I'm nobody to deny him a future. He has every quality to be one of the greatest batsmen in Test cricket.

Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi were named on Sunday in Pakistan's squads for the November limited-overs series in Australia after being dropped from the last two Tests against England.

Babar Azam was on top of the world two years ago -- Pakistan captain and top-rated batsman in all three formats -- but he will celebrate his 30th birthday at home on Tuesday when the second Test against England begins in Multan.

Out-of-form batsman Babar Azam was dropped on Sunday as Pakistan shook up their squad for the second Test against England, following their innings and 47-run defeat in the first.

Azam announced his resignation on his personal social media just before midnight on Tuesday, before an official Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) statement more than 12 hours later.

Babar Azam resigned as Pakistan's white-ball skipper on Tuesday, saying he wanted to focus on his playing role in the future matches, batter said on social media site X.

Babar spent much of his early Test career batting at No.3 and there was speculation that the right-hander may return to that spot under new coach Jason Gillespie.

Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam has his sights set on the prized wicket of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam.