Pakistan could not make their way into the finals of the Asia Cup in 2023. They were the favorites to win the tournament, but a bad performance in the event led them to exit. On that note, Pakistan’s former skipper Shahid Afridi expressed disappointment and took a unique stance on skipper Babar Azam. Babar Azam‘s tactics were highly questionable in a crunch match as his field placements were quite defensive
In the Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan could not meet the expectations because they never played like a team; their skipper only scored in the first match against Nepal, and their star player Shadab Khan also looked off-color in the tournament, which resulted in the team’s poor performance. The former skipper feels they should have rested some players.
I have seen that Pakistan make changes in almost every game- Shahid Afridi not happy with Babar Azam’s captaincy
Shahid Afridi was having an interaction with Saama TV, in a discussion about the Asia Cup 2023. Shahid Afridi pointed out that Babar Azam doesn’t stick to one combination which disturbs the dynamics of the team. Shahid Afridi also was furious on the management for not managing the workload of spinners in the big tournament.
“This is an age-old problem. India is playing in the Asia Cup, and I have seen them make changes in almost every game in their playing eleven. They have rested seniors and given chances to juniors, which shows that they are preparing for the upcoming World Cup,” said Shahid Afridi.
“These decisions are very important. You select a 15-member squad because the players on the bench are as good as those in the XI. You should not have a problem resting the first-choice players,” he added.
“If Shadab Khan is rested for some matches, Osama Mir is there, who has performed well for Pakistan in past matches. If someone isn’t performing well in some matches, you should give him some rest. I’m not asking to drop him from the squad; you can keep him with the team. Give him sessions with the head coach and bowling coach,” he added.
Problems aplenty for Pakistan
Injuries have been the main issue with the Pakistan team because their main bowlers, Haris Rauf and Young Naseem Shah, could not serve the team due to injuries. It won’t be a bad idea if PCB’s selection panel bring back the speedster Hasan Ali who is a big match winner and has got all the traits to fox the batters. Babar Azam would be aware of his own form as the batter has looked scratchy and has got into the shell by playing defensive brand of cricket.
Pakistan lost their hope to win the Asia Cup 2023 against Sri Lanka, where they lost at the very last ball. In the 42-over reduced match, Sri Lanka won a thriller, but Shaheen Afridi pulled the game back a bit with two quick wickets. Young batsman Charith Asalanka held his nerve at the end. Babar Azam astounded everyone with his strategy when the island nation required 2 runs to win from 1 ball.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2023: Reality Check To Rohit Sharma & Co