Afridi Questions the Consistency and Strategy of the Indian Team in a Message to Babar

Shahid Afridi spoke about Pakistan’s heavy reliance on Shadab Khan after their disappointing exit from the Asia Cup 2023.

Pakistan had a tough loss to Sri Lanka in the ‘virtual semi-final’ of the Asia Cup 2023, missing the chance to play in the final against India. The match in Colombo was shortened to 42 overs due to rain, and Sri Lanka secured a last-ball win. Charith Asalanka (49*) played with great composure and ensured Sri Lanka’s spot in the final. Shaheen Afridi almost turned the game in Pakistan’s favor in the penultimate over, but Asalanka’s calmness prevailed, breaking Pakistan’s hopes.

Pakistan was already dealing with injuries to their star fast bowlers, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. On top of that, Shadab Khan was going through a rough patch. He had a good start in the tournament, taking four wickets in Pakistan’s first game against Nepal. But his performance declined afterward, with just two wickets in the Super 4 stage, which were against Sri Lanka and India. Notably, in Pakistan’s Super 4 win against Bangladesh, Shadab Khan couldn’t get any wickets.

In the match against Sri Lanka, Shadab only scored 3 runs and gave away 55 runs for one wicket in nine overs. This drew criticism for his inconsistent performance once again. After Pakistan’s exit from the tournament, former captain Shahid Afridi talked in detail about the team’s selection and referred to the Indian team to explain how Babar Azam and the team management aren’t utilizing their backup players effectively.

“This is an age-old problem. India are playing in Asia Cup, I’ve seen changes in almost every game in their team. They’ve rested seniors, played juniors, it shows that they are preparing for the World Cup. These decisions are very important, you select a 15-member squad because the players are bench are as good as those in XI. You shouldn’t have a problem with resting the first-choice players,” Afridi said on Samaa TV.

“If Shadab is rested, Osama Mir is there. He has performed well for Pakistan in the past. If someone isn’t performing in quite some matches, you should rest him. I’m not saying that drop him from the 15-member squad, you can keep him in the team and still rest him. Let him have sessions with head coach and bowling coach. I don’t know what are our plans, really,” stated Afridi further.

Pakistan return with World Cup

The team will get back into action at the ODI World Cup, starting with a warm-up match against New Zealand on September 29. Pakistan’s official journey in the main tournament begins on October 6 when they face the Netherlands.

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