India vs Pak: ‘Drop them’, Shahid Afridi slams Babar, Shaheen after 61-run loss

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi criticised the senior core of the Pakistan national cricket team following their 61-run defeat to the India national cricket team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium.

Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India dominated the Group A clash on Sunday, leaving Pakistan in a must-win situation against Namibia to remain in contention for a place in the Super 8 stage.

Speaking on Samaa TV, Afridi called for the exclusion of senior players, including Babar Azam, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Notably, Shaheen is married to Afridi’s daughter Ansha.


“Drop Shaheen, drop Shadab, and drop Babar. Try fresh faces against Namibia and give the new players a chance to build confidence. They've been playing for a long time. Whenever we expect them to perform, they don't. If these senior players aren't giving us the performances we desire, then play the juniors who are sitting on the bench. What is the difference?” Afridi said during a live show.

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said after the match that the spinners failed to deliver on a surface that offered assistance.

“We were believing in our spinners, and they had an off day today. Execution was missing in some parts of the game. We were obviously going to always believe our spinners, because they've done really well in last six month. And with the batting I think we didn't start well and in T20 games if we lose 3 or 4 wickets in powerplay, you are always chasing the game,” he said during the post-match presentation.

Salman also said the batting unit did not adapt to the conditions.

“I think, to be very honest, like in first inning it was a bit tacky. The ball was gripping as well. So, the execution was, I think, missing when it comes to bowling, but I think the pitch better played better in the second inning than first inning. But our bowlers like, we didn't bowl according to the situation. And when it comes to batting, we didn't apply ourselves and gave us a chance to go deep in the game,” he added.