Wahab Riaz: “There was so much speculation in the media which gave a perception that if we had not gone to Kakul, they (Babar and Shaheen) might have hit each other”
Image courtesy of: Unsplash
Pakistan selection committee member Wahab Riaz has dismissed the perception that Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi hate each other, insisting that things would never spiral out of control where they would end up hitting each other.
Wahab’s remarks come after Afridi was removed as T20I skipper and Azam was named limited overs captain.
Afridi only led the men in green in one series, which comprised five T20Is against New Zealand in January 2024.
Upon Azam being given the leadership role again, rumours emerged that Afridi was very upset and demanded to know what he did wrong.
However, Wahab reiterated that there is no rift between any players, as was shown during the recent fitness camp held at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Abbottabad.
“There was so much speculation in the media which gave a perception that if we had not gone to Kakul, they (Babar and Shaheen) might have hit each other,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“When we went there (Kakul), we saw that there was a lot of unity among the players. They used to play snooker together regularly after iftar. They would watch matches together and engage in cricket discussions and there was a really good environment. Their main aim is to win matches for Pakistan and you will see them doing that in future.”
The T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand will be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan
Non-travelling reserves: Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha
[TS_Poll id=”124″]