Mohammad Asif: “You can expect Shaheen Afridi getting dropped from [the] Pakistan cricket team after losing [the] captaincy”
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Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif shockingly said pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi could be dropped from the national team after being removed as T20I captain.
Afridi only led the men in green in one series, which consisted of five T20Is against New Zealand in January 2024.
Pakistan lost that series 4-1 and not long after, Babar Azam was appointed as Pakistan’s limited overs captain.
With Afridi no longer in charge, Asif feels that the clock could be ticking for the 24-year-old, especially if he fails to perform.
“You can expect Shaheen Afridi getting dropped from [the] Pakistan cricket team after losing [the] captaincy,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Afridi recently captained the Lahore Qalandars in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and snapped up 14 wickets in nine matches at an average of 22.14 and an economy rate of 8.61.
Following the conclusion of PSL 9, he played in Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand and snapped up eight wickets in four games at an average of 10 and an economy rate of 7.38.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a three-match T20I series against Ireland from May 10 to 14.
After that, they will play four T20Is against England from May 22 to May 30.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series:Â Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan