Pakistan team was unfazed coming into the Asia Cup and was expected to deliver a strong performance, and so they did. Pakistan thrashed Nepal in their opening game while cleaning up India’s top-order thanks to a Shaheen Afridi show. However, things took a turn for the worst and Pakistan suffered losses at the hands of Sri Lanka and India eventually finishing fourth in the Super 4 stages. Adding insult to injury, reports emerged of an argument taking place between skipper Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi.
Pakistan was considered one of the favorites to make it to the finals of the Asia Cup, as they were Number 1 in the ICC ODI rankings at that point. Pakistan had a good start to the tournament, as they defeated Nepal thanks to a scintillating batting display from skipper Babar Azam. Pakistan went on to give team India a scare after Shaheen Afridi ran through the Indian top order with a fiery spell before the game was washed out.
Pakistan defeated Bangladesh convincingly in the first game of the Super 4, and they looked almost certain to play the finals in Colombo. Things took a turn for the worst, as Pakistan suffered a hammering defeat at the hands of India while losing to Sri Lanka in a close match to get knocked out of the tournament. These loses led to a slump in morale with reports emerging of an altercation between skipper Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi in the dressing room.
I was scrolling through my Twitter, and I saw that now they’re running something with my name that Shahid Afridi stated – Shahid Afridi
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was speaking to the media and gave a clarification on the matter and on his words being twisted. Shahid Afridi had earlier mentioned in an interview that Shahin would make a better captain than Babar Azam as he had previous experience of leading Lahore Qalandars to victory in PSL before taking a U-turn in the matter.
“I was scrolling through my Twitter, and I saw that now they’re running something with my name that Shahid Afridi stated, in my opinion, Shaheen Afridi can lead the team better than Babar Azam, Lahore Qalandars won a PSL trophy under his captaincy,” said Shahid Afridi.
Following Pakistan’s exit from the tournament, critics had called for a change in captaincy from Babar Azam, with the likes of Shahin Afridi and Shadab Khan, with statements quoting the former cricketer. Shahid Afridi lashed out at the media and critiqued them for misinterpreting his statements.
“I don’t understand why they are saying such things, even though I express my views on Samaa. I share my perspective on Samaa, but they interpret it in their own way. Although I am the only person who keeps Shaheen away from the captaincy,” added Shahid Afridi.
He even denied the news of any rift in the dressing room, saying that all is well in the camp and everyone traveled back together.
“The team’s sole focus is on cricket, and we are not concerned about the critics. Losing a match gives our critics an opportunity to voice their opinions, but these are merely negative speculations,” he concluded.
Also Read:Asia Cup : Top 3 Forgettable Loss For Pakistan In Asia Cup History