NEW DELHI, FEB 16 : Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi went on an all-out rant against Pakistan\u2019s senior trio after their crushing defeat to India in Colombo, calling for Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan to be benched for the rest of the T20 World Cup. The former Pakistan captain said it was time to move on from repeated failures and give youngsters a proper chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan\u2019s latest collapse against India only fuelled the criticism, with Afridi arguing that the team cannot keep banking on the same senior names without returns. Speaking on a Pakistani news show, Afridi said he would drop all three and back the juniors in the upcoming fixtures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo if I have to take a decision here, I would even sit Shaheen out, sit Babar out, and sit Shadab out as well. I would play the new boys, give the youngsters a chance. And in our match against Namibia, I would back them, give them confidence, and keep playing them,\u201d Afridi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019ve been watching these players for so long \u2014 they keep getting opportunities. And every time, we expect that against a team like this, they will perform. These are senior players. If they\u2019re not delivering for you, then why not play the juniors sitting on the bench? What\u2019s the big difference anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How bad were Babar, Shaheen, Shadab in IND vs PAK?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Babar Azam\u2019s struggles, especially against India, continued in Colombo. Chasing 176, Pakistan\u2019s premier batter managed only five runs off seven balls before being dismissed by Axar Patel, extending a poor record in T20Is against India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shaheen Afridi, expected to spearhead Pakistan\u2019s pace attack, endured a nightmare outing despite the team largely leaning on spin through the innings. Pakistan threw as many as seven bowlers at India in an attempt to disrupt their rhythm, but it was their premier fast bowler who ended up taking the biggest hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shaheen finished as Pakistan\u2019s most expensive bowler, conceding 31 runs in just two overs. Trusted with the second over and then the final over of the innings, he leaked 16 runs in both spells, a costly return that allowed India to build momentum and finish strongly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shadab Khan also had a forgettable all-round match. He was taken apart for 17 runs in a single over with the ball, and with the bat he failed to anchor the chase, scoring a slow 14 before getting out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How India extended their dominance over Pak<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, once again underlined their grip over Pakistan with a crushing 61-run win on Sunday, February 15. The result took the T20 World Cup head-to-head tally to an emphatic 8-1 in India\u2019s favour and sealed India\u2019s place in the Super 8s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ishan Kishan set the tone with a blistering 77 off 40 balls as India posted 175. Pakistan\u2019s chase never took off, with Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel all picking up two wickets each before Pakistan were bundled out for 114.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The heavy defeat has now intensified scrutiny back home, with Afridi\u2019s comments reflecting the growing frustration around Pakistan\u2019s senior core after yet another one-sided loss to India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-PTI<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NEW DELHI, FEB 16 : Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi went on an all-out rant against Pakistan\u2019s senior trio after their crushing defeat to India in Colombo, calling for Babar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":148635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[348,16],"tags":[28215,63,16789],"class_list":["post-148634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news","category-sport-news","tag-india-pakistan-cricket-match-3","tag-new-delhi","tag-t20-world-ccup"],"yoast_head":"\n