Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi spoke out after the Babar Azam-led team was knocked out of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the group stage.
Pakistan was eliminated from the tournament after the match between the United States and Ireland was called off due to rain in Florida.
Addressing rumors about dropping several players from the team, Afridi emphasized that such changes are only possible with a strong bench. “We’ve heard that eight or nine players might be removed, but you need enough capable replacements for that. Do we have someone as good as Babar or Rizwan to replace them?” Afridi said on his YouTube channel.
He also urged the PCB to respect domestic cricket performers, suggesting that players who struggled in the World Cup should return to domestic cricket. “Players like Salman Agha, Saud Shakeel, Sahibzada Farhan, and Mohammad Ali perform well in domestic cricket all year. Ignoring them for those who perform well in just a few matches is unfair,” Afridi added.
Afridi stressed that players like Azam Khan and Saim Ayub should play domestic cricket for two consecutive years and maintain their fitness to be considered for the national team.
