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Pakistan T20I captain Shaheen Afridi and former skipper Babar Azam are reportedly not on talking terms. Afridi, who made his captaincy debut against New Zealand looked isolated as rift rumours once again sparked in the team. Pakistan locked horns with the Kiwis in the first of five match T20I in Auckland, where the Men in Green were thrashed by 49 runs. After their defeat, rumours of rifts between Afridi and Babar once again surfaced.
According to Pakistani senior journalist Ejaz Bakhri, the speedster and Azam have stopped talking to each other. He added that Pakistan's new captain didn’t ask for any suggestions from the seniors and looked under pressure during the first T20I clash. Bakhari also claimed the Afridi positioned the ex-skipper in the deep to avoid any kind of communication.
Reports by Bakhri stated, "Shaheen was alone. He was not talking to anyone, he was not discussing and taking suggestions from anyone, and his bowlers were getting hammered. He has pushed Babar Azam to deep mid-on, he is your ex-captain and captain in the last T20I event. At least talk to him, and coordinate with him. Shaheen Afridi looked nervous.”
The journalist accused PCB boss Zaka Ashraf of the destruction of Pakistan Cricket, and said, “I don’t know what Zaka Ashraf has done to this team. He has changed the captain, coaches, and players but the team is still not winning.” After a thrilling high-scoring thriller in Auckland, action will move to Seddon Park in Hamilton, for another high-octane encounter on January 14, Sunday.