Stats Confirm 2025 as Pakistan’s Worst Year in ODI Cricket

Pakistan’s long and storied history in One Day International (ODI) cricket has seen its fair share of highs and lows, but 2025 is shaping up to be a statistical low point unlike any other.

Pakistan’s ODI cricket this year has plummeted to an unprecedented low, with the national side recording its poorest-ever annual performance in over five decades of the format. In 11 matches so far in 2025, Pakistan have managed just two wins, translating to a win percentage of 18.18% and a win-loss ratio of 0.22, both the lowest in the team’s history for any calendar year featuring at least six ODIs.

Even the turbulent phases of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the team was still finding its footing in the format, did not produce numbers this poor.

For context, Pakistan’s previous nadir came in 1988, when they managed only four wins from 15 ODIs (26.7%). More recently, lean years such as 2010 (27.8%) and 2019 (36%) still saw the team performing significantly better than the current campaign.

The numbers are even more alarming when compared with Pakistan’s proud ODI legacy. Since making their debut in the format in 1973, the Men in Green have enjoyed several golden patches — most notably 2008, when they won 18 of 21 matches, boasting a remarkable 85.71% win rate and a staggering 6.00 win-loss ratio. Another high point came in 2022, when Pakistan won eight of nine ODIs for an 88.89% success rate, the best single-year percentage in their history.

2025 was supposed to be the year Mohammad Rizwan and his team claimed their place as one of the giants of modern cricket. The Pakistan team seemingly had everything, from a squad with considerable experience and individual talent to a home advantage during an ICC tournament. Yet what followed was anything but worth celebrating. A disastrous Champions Trophy was followed by a thumping whitewash in New Zealand, which was followed by a first bilateral ODI series loss to West Indies in over three decades.

Qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup depends on ICC ODI rankings. Pakistan should not be worried about it now, but with other teams in the mix, an unfortunate reality may await the team in the coming years.

The road ahead is steep for this team. The PCB is focused on T20Is this year, and there are currently only six more ODIs scheduled for Pakistan in 2025 against South Africa and Sri Lanka, which do present an opportunity for improvement. However, the way things are, Pakistani fans may not be hoping for much.

Pakistan will need not just results but convincing performances in the remaining games to restore faith among fans and reclaim their competitive edge. Otherwise, 2025 risks being remembered not as a stain on Pakistan’s cricketing history, but as the team’s new reality.