File photo of Pakistan great Shahid Afridi© X (Twitter)
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was not pleased by the side’s performances in the recent past and following their losses against New Zealand in the first two T20Is, he took aim at the players as well as the team management. Afridi expressed his frustration at the selection process and how the players are handled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Addressing a media event, the former Pakistan all-rounder pointed out a major problem in approach when it comes to the current batters.
“It looks like everyone wants to bat like Shahid Afridi, but you can’t score 200 in every match.”
“They sent first-class players with just 10-11 matches of experience. Where spinners were needed, they picked pacers, and where pacers were needed, they picked extra spinners,” he added.
Afridi also namedropped players like Mohammad Hasnain and Usman Khan who have shown great promise on the domestic circuit but were not included in the national team for a long time.
“These players have been warming the bench for a long time, yet they are not being given chances. What’s the point of keeping them in the squad if they aren’t going to play?” he questioned.
Afridi was also not pleased with the PCB and how they have handled the current results by the Pakistan cricket team. Pakistan did not have a good outing in the past year with early eliminations from both T20 World Cup as well as the Champions Trophy 2025. Afridi criticised the constant changes in leadership when it comes to the governing body and the inconsistency in decision making.
“The board needs a permanent chairman. Babar Azam was given ample opportunities as captain, but why was Mohammad Rizwan only given six months in the role?” he concluded.
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