With the Champions Trophy just a month away, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) seems to be taking steps to ensure success at the ICC event in England which starts from June 6.

Pakistan are set to play two one-day matches each against Ireland and Scotland in May before the Trophy. They are drawn in group B alongside India, the West Indies and South Africa. They play the West Indies at The Oval, London on June 7 before South Africa on June 10 and India five days later.

The PCB’s preparations for the Champions Trophy included a ten-day training camp for fast bowlers led by Wasim Akram to boost the pace attack while Australian Trent Woodhill was appointed Pakistan's batting coach for the Champions Trophy.

Shahid Afridi was dropped from the 15-man squad for because of his lacklustre performance in South Africa along with Umar Akmal. Pacemen Ehsan Adil and Asad Ali were included while Umar Gul was earlier ruled out due to an injury.

Afridi blamed ODI captain Misbah-ul-Haq for his exclusion from the squad, saying he was still better than most players and will make a comeback to the national team.

What are Pakistan’s chances of winning the Champions Trophy based on the squad picked?

Were the selectors right to drop Afridi for the Champions Trophy? Were the all-rounder’s comments regarding his exclusion justified?

Will a ten-day training camp for the fast bowlers be enough to make an impact in England?

How much of a difference will hiring a batting coach just a month before the event make?

Squad: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Imran Farhat, Asad Shafiq, Abdul Rehman, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Umar Amin, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Saeed Ajmal, Asad Ali, Ehsan Adil, Wahab Riaz.

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