Pakistan`s third consecutive group-stage exit in an ICC tournament has left fans in shock and anger, but this one stings the most.

Hosting a major ICC event for the first time in 29 years, Pakistan delivered their worst-ever performance in a home tournament. The tournament`s hosting had been a subject of long negotiations, with India reluctant to travel to Pakistan.

However, after months of discussions, Pakistan`s campaign lasted only four days before they were knocked out.

A team that had recently defeated South Africa and Australia in their own conditions shockingly went winless on home soil, a case study that will be revisited for years. Expectations were high, especially with Mohammad Rizwan as captain, given his impressive domestic track record. Additionally, Pakistan had all three of their best pacers available, yet they failed to secure a single victory in the tournament.

Despite notable victories against top ODI sides, former cricketers and experts had voiced concerns about the squad`s suitability for the conditions well before the tournament. These concerns escalated when Saim Ayub suffered an injury, triggering a chaotic selection process.

Pakistan made multiple changes, bringing in Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah while surprisingly dropping Irfan Khan Niazi, who had been identified as a finisher in previous series and showed promise. Given that the tournament was at home, dropping him was a baffling decision.

Faheem Ashraf`s inclusion raised eyebrows, considering his dismal recent record averaging 8.9 with the bat and 104.75 with the ball in his last 20 ODIs before his comeback. Meanwhile, after Saim Ayub`s injury, Fakhar Zaman was recalled, but instead of Abdullah Shafique, who had failed with three ducks against South Africa, Pakistan chose not to include another specialist opener in the squad. This left fans questioning the logic behind entering a major tournament with out a stable opening pair.

Chief selector Asad Shafiq justified this by saying that Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel could open alongside Fakhar Zaman, depending on conditions. However, shifting Babar Azam one of the world`s best No 3 batters, with an average of 60 at that position was a drastic and questionable move.

Only two batters in history have maintained such an average at No 3: Babar Azam and Virat Kohli. Yet, Pakistan opted to disrupt their batting order, moving Babar to the opening slot, promoting Kamran Ghulam to No 3 (who was later dropped), shifting Salman Ali Agha to No 5, and introducing Tayyab Tahir at No 6. All these drastic changes stemmed from a single injury, leading to frustration among fans and experts.

Pakistan`s bad luck continued when Fakhar Zaman suffered a back injury in the very first over of the tournament while attempting a boundary save, ruling him out. This had an immediate psychological impact on the team, evident in their disastrous chase of 321 against New Zealand. Pakistan opened with Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel, producing one of the worst power plays in history scoring just 22 runs in 10 overs.

For years, the biggest criticism of Pakistan`s batting has been their strike rate and intent and, once again, they showed no signs of improvement. In their last ICC ODI tournament in India, they were already far behind modern teams in terms of aggressive batting but, this time, they regressed even further. Despite their struggles in the opening game, Pakistan repeated the same approach against India, failing to adjust.

When Imam-ul-Haq replaced Fakhar Zaman for the India clash in Dubai, his lack of intent frustrated everyone watching that game. He played 26 balls without a boundary, scoring just 10 runs. After losing early wickets, Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan built a partnership but, instead of stabilising the innings, theirapproach drained momentum.

At one stage, Pakistan went 32 balls without a boundary, hit one, and then endured another 48-ball boundary drought.

The team played 162 dot balls against New Zealand and 152 against India barely an improvement. By the end of their second match, Pakistan was eliminated from the tournament in just four days.

At the halfway stage of the Champions Trophy, the most centuries in a single edition had already been recorded, yet no Pakistani batter reached three figures. In fact, Pakistan was the only team in the tournament without a century.

While Pakistan`s batting was disastrous, their bowling selection also came under scrutiny. Every team in the tournament picked at least two specialist spinners, but Pakistan persisted with just one spinner, Abrar Ahmed, relying on two all-rounders, Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah.

This decision was particularly baffling given their crucial match against Indiain spin-friendly Dubai. Even after elimination, Pakistan defended their spin strategy, but reality painted a different picture. In Karachi, New Zealand`s spinners dismissed four Pakistani batters. Later, in Dubai, India fielded four spinners against New Zealand and took nine wickets with them, further highlighting Pakistan`s miscalculations.

Historically, Pakistan`s pace attack has been their strength but, this time, it failed to deliver. Shaheen Afridi, expected to lead from the front, went wicketless against New Zealand and managed only two wickets against India. Naseem Shah was also wicket less against India and picked up just two wickets in the tournament. Haris Rauf`s express pace failed to make an impact, conceding 52 runs at an economy of 7.4 against India and picking up two wickets at an expensive economy of 8.2 against New Zealand.

Pakistan now heads into a white-ball tour of New Zealand immediately after this disastrous campaign. The biggest question is whether they will finally acknowledge their outdated approach and make the necessary changes, particularly in adopting an intent-driven batting strategy.

Beyond just strategy, Pakistan must rethink their selection process. Sticking with underperforming big names over deserving players has repeatedly cost the team. Moving forward, Pakistan needs to build a balanced squad based on performances rather than reputation. The Champions Trophy debacle should serve as a wake-up call, but whether Pakistan learns from it remains to be seen.

If the team continues to repeat past mistakes and fails to adapt to modern cricketing standards, they risk further stagnation. It is imperative for the management to make bold calls, prioritise talent over legacy, and instil a winning mindset. The road ahead is tough, but a shift in approach could redefine Pakistan`s white-ball cricket future.

The writer is a cricket correspondent and digital content creator.

X: @abubakartarar_