Shahid Afridi: “We thought Asif Ali, and Khushdil will do the job but they haven’t”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan interim chief selector Shahid Afridi said power-hitters Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah were given multiple opportunities to cement their places in the team but failed to make the most of it.
The duo were trusted to provide some much-needed firepower in the middle order and play match-winning knocks or score quick runs when the situation demanded it.
However, their inconsistent performances resulted in them being dropped and Afridi admitted that they were axed from the team since they simply couldn’t get the job done.
“We thought Asif Ali, and Khushdil will do the job but they haven’t,” he was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
Pakistan are currently in the midst of a two-Test series against New Zealand, which is tied at 0-0 as the first match ended as a draw.
The second Test will begin on January 2 in Karachi.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood and Zahid Mahmood