Amid widespread speculation about a potential rift between Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam, Pakistan’s assistant coach Azhar Mahmood has stepped in to set the record straight. The rumors emerged after Afridi was replaced by Babar as captain ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. Despite the leadership change, Pakistan has suffered back-to-back defeats against the United States and India. Legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram further fueled the controversy by alleging that Babar and Shaheen were not on speaking terms following the captaincy switch.
However, Mahmood has dismissed these claims outright.
Wasim (Akram) may have said that, but I haven’t seen it. Shaheen and Babar are definitely talking and are good friends. They are both integral parts of the Pakistan team,
Mahmood stated during a pre-match press conference ahead of the Group A clash against Canada.
Akram had harshly criticized the Babar-led team following their loss to India, suggesting that internal conflicts were affecting their performance.
There are players who don’t want to talk to each other. This is international cricket, and you play for your country. Make these players sit at home,
Akram commented on Star Sports.
Mahmood acknowledged the team’s underwhelming performance so far in the tournament and accepted that the management must take responsibility.
When you ask who will take responsibility – we, as a team management, will take responsibility. We haven’t lost because of any one player; it’s our collective mistake.
We’re not hiding any players. Everyone is present and accounted for. As I mentioned earlier, we are a team. It’s our responsibility, and we’re not delivering as expected. That’s why I’m here addressing this. Yesterday, Gary was here. So, it’s clear that we are all in this together,
he added.
