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Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, has slammed the current set of players of the national team following their recent run of losses in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the ongoing T20I series in New Zealand. The 48-year-old was frustrated about the team selection process of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) apart from stating that everyone wants to bat like him in an attacking manner, but it’s difficult to post big totals regularly in the shortest format of the game.
Notably, after being dumped out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which was hosted by Pakistan alongside the UAE, the Men in Green are currently in New Zealand, playing a five-match T20I series. They have suffered two big defeats in the first two matches against the BlackCaps in Christchurch and Dunedin, which has left them 0-2 down in the T20I series, and their task isn’t expected to get any easier either.
It looks like everyone wants to bat like Shahid Afridi, but you can't score 200 in every match: Shahid Afridi
During a media event, Shahid Afridi spoke about what’s wrong with the approach of the Pakistan cricket team in regards to T20I cricket apart from indirectly criticising the PCB for their player selection. He was quoted as saying, as per NDTV Sports, “It looks like everyone wants to bat like Shahid Afridi, but you can't score 200 in every match.. They sent first-class players with just 10-11 matches of experience. Where spinners were needed, they picked pacers, and where pacers were needed, they picked extra spinners,” he added.
Shahid Afridi also talked up the likes of Mohammad Hasnain and Usman Khan for their performances in domestic cricket while pointing out how the PCB are not giving them regular game time in Pakistan colours. He remarked, “These players have been warming the bench for a long time, yet they are not being given chances. What's the point of keeping them in the squad if they aren't going to play?”
Moreover, Pakistan are slated to play the third T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand on Friday, March 21, at the Eden Park in Auckland.
