The Pakistan cricket team concluded their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign on a disappointing note. After failing to win their initial matches against New Zealand and India, they only managed to share points with Bangladesh in their final tournament game. This resulted in Pakistan finishing at the bottom of Group A with just one point and a net run rate of -1.087. Their poor performance means they will likely finish either 7th or 8th overall in the tournament standings.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had announced a total prize pool of $6.9 million for the Champions Trophy 2025 earlier this month. This represents a 53% increase compared to the 2017 edition, as stated by the cricket governing body.
The winner of this eight-team tournament will be awarded $2.24 million (approximately INR 20 crore) along with the trophy. The runner-up will receive $1.12 million, and the semi-finalist teams will each get $560,000. Teams finishing in fifth and sixth place will each earn $350,000, while the seventh and eighth-placed teams will receive $140,000. Furthermore, all participating teams are guaranteed $125,000 just for competing in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.
Considering Pakistan is guaranteed to finish in either 7th or 8th place, they are set to receive a total of $265,000 ($140,000 + $125,000), which is approximately INR 2.31 crore.
This is a humiliating outcome for Pakistan, who were not only the defending champions but also the hosts of the tournament. Pakistan’s performance marks the worst finish for a defending champion in the event’s history, surpassing Australia’s previous record from the 2013 Champions Trophy.
“We aimed to perform well and meet the high expectations of our nation. Our poor performance is disappointing. We can learn from our mistakes, which we have made in recent games. We hope to improve from these experiences,” Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan stated on Thursday.
“Our next tour is to New Zealand, and we hope to perform better there and learn from the mistakes we made against New Zealand here in Pakistan. We are committed to improving in New Zealand.”
“We are all very disappointed. We are here for Pakistan, which is our priority, and the expectations are very high. We are upset and acknowledge our poor performance. We will work harder and aim to return stronger.”
