Shahid Afridi opposed a complete overhaul of the Pakistan T20 team citing no replacement for Babar Azam after their World Cup exit, urging selection based on domestic consistency.
Legendary Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi has expressed reservations about reports suggesting a complete overhaul of the national team following their T20 World Cup disappointment. Pakistan failed to qualify for the Super 8 stage, finishing behind India and the USA in Group A.
Social media has been abuzz with speculation regarding a “hard reset” in Pakistani cricket, with calls for significant changes in the playing XI. However, Afridi, who has previously questioned Babar Azam’s captaincy, believes dropping senior players like Babar and Mohammad Rizwan entirely would be unwise.
In a YouTube video, Shahid Afridi addressed these rumours: “I saw on social media that they want to drop 8–9 players. I don’t know what the reality is, but this can’t happen. If you want to drop Babar, not as a player, do you have anyone to replace him? Do you have any performers like Babar? Do we have a replacement for Rizwan on our bench?” said Afridi, as quoted by Sportskeeda.
Afridi recently suggested he would have held Babar in higher regard if the latter had accepted Shaheen Afridi’s leadership. Shaheen was replaced as T20I captain by Babar after the appointment of new PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi.
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The former cricketer emphasised the need to reward consistent performers in domestic cricket rather than relying on sporadic brilliance. He argued that such players deserve time to settle into the international setup before the next World Cup.
“If we continue to select players on the basis of 2-3 innings and ignore the stars of domestic cricket, it’s harsh on those who have performed on the domestic circuit for years,” Afridi stated. Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign concludes with a match against Ireland on Sunday, June 16th.
Last Updated on June 15, 2024