Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri feels that Pakistan can make it through to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025. The Men in Green, led by Mohammad Rizwan, prepare to host an ICC event for the first time since 1996. Given the fact that Pakistan will play all their matches on their home soil, except for the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match in Dubai, Shastri feels the hosts can venture deep into the tournament. "There’s always pressure when you play at home in the sub-continent – whether it's India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, or Pakistan – the expectations are massive," Shastri said on the latest episode of the ICC review. Pakistan can qualify for the Champions Trophy semifinals: Shastri Even though the Pakistani team will be without marquee batter Saim Ayub, one of the major reasons why their squad announcement was delayed, they can pose some serious threat to other teams. "But Pakistan have enough depth to be dangerous, especially in home conditions. I would say they should qualify for the semi-finals and from there, it’s anyone's game," Ravi Shastri added. Ex-Australian skipper Ricky Ponting agreed with Ravi, highlighting just how big a miss Ayub can be. "I agree with Ravi. Saim Ayub is a high-quality player, and his absence is a massive gap to fill. But Pakistan’s fast bowling brigade is very, very good. Led by Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, who’ve been terrific in recent series, they have the pace and skill to trouble any batting line-up," said Ponting. The hosts recently suffered a 78-run loss at the hands of New Zealand in the first ODI of the ongoing tri-series. Pakistan will play the Kiwis in the Champions Trophy's opening clash, before facing off against India on 23 February. In their last group game, Pakistan will meet Bangladesh on 27 February.Original Article