Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, dispelled claims that he had a falling out with veteran paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi and asserted that teammates are just as important to him as his family. Rumors abounded that Babar and Shaheen got into a furious confrontation following Pakistan’s elimination from the Asia Cup 2023 after losing to India and Sri Lanka in the Super 4 stage. Read more about Babar Azam Opens Up On Rift With Shaheen Afridi below.
Babar Azam Opens Up On Rift With Shaheen Afridi
According to a BolNews story, the Pakistan captain expressed his disappointment with the senior players’ performances. They were pushed to do better by Babar. Shaheen, allegedly in retaliation, allegedly instructed Babar to at least compliment the guys who had bowled and batted well.
Babar, in the meantime, has put an end to all the allegations by stating that it was just a routine team meeting.
Before departing for India for the 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar declared in a news conference, “Everyone is treated with respect. See, anytime the game is tight and we lose, it’s simply a regular match, but occasionally it’s made to seem as though we were fighting. That is not how it ought to be. Everyone should be treated with respect at all times. We love one other as much as we do our families.”
The Pakistani skipper also addressed Naseem Shah’s absence, stating that they would miss his assistance, particularly with the new ball given that he and Shaheen Afridi recently created a lethal combo.
“Of course, we will miss Naseem Shah as Shaheen [Afridi] and Naseem bowling together gave us a different edge,” Babar added.
He claimed that choosing Hasan Ali as Naseem’s replacement was difficult because of his background in the field.
“It was difficult to choose his replacement, but we all sat together and discussed the options with [chief selector] Inzamam ul Haq. Hasan Ali was chosen because he has experience. He has prior World Cup experience. We can’t yet disclose our methods, so I’m unable to speculate as to who will bowl the new ball or the old ball,” he continued.
Babar said that they would decide on their team composition after they had arrived in India and evaluated the situation. However, “we have not yet made any firm plans; it will become clearer to us when we travel to India and assess the circumstances.”
