Shahid Afridi has questioned the return of all-rounder Shadab Khan to the national T20 squad, saying Pakistan cricket is in ICU because of incorrect decisions. Shahid Afridi criticized Shadab Khan‘s selection for the New Zealand tour due to poor domestic performance, blaming Pakistan cricket’s struggles on inconsistent PCB policies.
Out of favor since the last T20 World Cup, Shadab Khan was recalled and also appointed vice captain to Salman Ali Agha in Pakistan’s T20 squad for the away series against New Zealand.
Shadab Khan returns as vice captain for NZ series 2025
Out of favor since the last T20 World Cup, Shadab Khan was recalled and also appointed vice captain to Salman Ali Agha in Pakistan’s T20 squad for the away series against New Zealand. Pakistan cricket is going through a major crisis currently after their national team failed to make it to the knockout stage once again in an ICC trophy. They have now changed their T20I captain with Salman Ali Agha replacing Mohammad Rizwan while Shadab Khan is back in the side as vice-captain.
The Men in Green are slated to play five T20Is in New Zealand starting from 16th of March and have started their preparation for the same. Plenty of videos of their training sessions are going rounds, and one of them now shows Shadab Khan bowling to the captain Salman Ali Agha.
In the video, Shadab Khan is seen challenging Salman Ali Agha to hit him for a six and the batter. Agha did not back away and on the next ball, he hit the leg-spinner down the ground, by charging aggressively down the track.
It was quite an answer from the batter and he then followed it up with a nice little teasing of his vice-captain. It soon turned into a funny banter, and these are healthy signs for Pakistan as their captain and vice-captain are seen pushing each other.
In the same video, the experienced pace duo of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf are also seen bowling with great intensity in the nets after failing to live upto billing in Champions Trophy. Pakistan fans would be hoping that they translate their hard work into performances on the field, and it could be a start of new successful era in Pakistan cricket.
Former Pakistan player Shahid Afridi criticized the inclusion of allrounder Shadab Khan in the T20 squad which is set to take on New Zealand, saying that due to these incorrect decisions, Pakistan cricket is in ICU. Shadab was left out in the cold after Pakistan’s disastrous performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup but was recently reinstated and also given the vice captaincy for the tour against the Kiwis.
Shahid Afridi Questions Shadab Khan’s Selection For NZ Tour 2025
Pakistani great Shahid Afridi is not pleased with leg-spinner Shadab Khan‘s selection for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. Afridi believes there’s neither any domestic performances nor any other criteria behind bringing him back, adding that it’s because of ‘incorrect’ decisions like this that Pakistan cricket was in the ‘ICU’.
Shadab Khan last played for Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados and the USA, where the team suffered one of its worst ICC events exits. However, soon after another one in the 2025 Champions Trophy at home, he was called back to the T20I team and also handed the vice-captaincy. Mohammad Rizwan, who led in the Champions Trophy, was also the T20 skipper but has now been sacked.
“On what basis has he been recalled? What are his performances in domestic cricket or otherwise that he had been picked again,” Shahid said during a media interaction, as quoted by PTI.
“All the time we talk about preparations and when an event comes and we flop then we talk about surgery. The fact is Pakistan cricket is in ICU because of incorrect decisions.”
He was also unhappy that whenever there’s a change of guard at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the new chairman changes everything, from captains to coaches and officials.
“There is no continuity, consistency in the Board’s decisions and policies. We keep changing captains, coaches, or some players but in the end, what is the accountability for Board officials,” the former skipper questioned.
“How can our cricket progress when there is a sword hanging constantly over the captain and coaches’ heads.”
Earlier, Shahid Afridi had also revealed that he had a conversation with chairman Mohsin Naqvi where the latter had told him that he didn’t know much about cricket. Shahid Afridi had said that he advised Naqvi to surround himself with better cricketing brains who could help him.
Pakistan recently released the squads which will play five T20Is and three ODIs in New Zealand starting March 16. Mohammad Rizwan and team talisman Babar Azam were dropped from the squad for the T20 series in New Zealand. Salman Ali Agha was named as the replacement for Rizwan as Pakistan captain of the T20 outfit with Shadab earning a recall into the team and being named vice-captain.
While Pakistan were eliminated from the Champions Trophy under his watch, Rizwan was retained as the ODI captain for the tour of New Zealand. However, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf were left out of the ODI team for the New Zealand tour. Batters Saud Shakil and Kamran Ghulam have also been axed from the ODI team.