Shahid Afridi: “Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen etc. have performed so well we expect them to perform in every match. Relentless consistency is challenging in cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said it is very difficult for Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi to adhere to the expectation that they should perform in every match.
The trio are heavily relied on as they have repeatedly led from the front and carried Pakistan to victory in all three formats.
However, Shahid noted that other players need to step up and make their presence felt as it is impossible for the men in green to constantly hope that Azam, Rizwan or Shaheen will save them.
“Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen etc. have performed so well we expect them to perform in every match. Relentless consistency is challenging in cricket,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
The Pakistan team recently lost 3-0 in their Test series against Australia and were then crushed 4-1 in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
Azam, Rizwan and Shaheen will now play in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and captain the Peshawar Zalmi, Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars respectively.
PSL 9 will be held from February 17 to March 18 in four cities – Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad (partially available), Arshad Iqbal, Haseebullah, Gus Atkinson (partially available), Asif Ali, Naveen-ul-Haq (reserved), Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Mohammad Zeeshan, Waqar Salamkheil, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufyan Muqeem, Shamar Joseph
Multan Sultans Squad for PSL 9: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, Faisal Akram, David Willey, Dawid Malan, Reece Topley, Reeza Hendricks, Tayyab Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mohammad Ali, Usman Khan, Yasir Khan, Chris Jordan, Aftab Ibrahim, Johnson Charles, Mohammad Shahzad
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 9: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Haris Rauf, David Wiese, Sikandar Raza, Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan, Mirza Tahir Baig, Rashid Khan (reserved), Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen, Sahibzada Farhan, Muhammad Imran Jnr., Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti, Dan Lawrence (partially available), Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun Mahmood, Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Tayyab Abbas
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