Shahid Afridi: “He said that 6-7 (5-6) players need to be dropped from the side. Wasim bhai, I just have one question for you. Do you [have] 6-7 players on the bench who can replace them?”
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Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has responded to legendary left-arm seamer Wasim Akram’s comments about majorly revamping the national team.
Wasim suggested bringing in five to six new players following the men in green’s dismal performance in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
While the Sultan of Swing didn’t name the players who would be replaced, Afridi questioned if Pakistan even have enough bench strength to remove those who are currently underperforming.
“I was listening to Wasim bhai that day. Yes, we all got carried away by emotions (after the loss to India). He said that 6-7 (5-6) players need to be dropped from the side. Wasim bhai, I just have one question for you. Do you [have] 6-7 players on the bench who can replace them? Do you have the players of those standards in domestic cricket? Have we groomed them in the academies?” he said on Samaa TV as quoted by NDTV.
Following the Champions Trophy, Pakistan travelled to New Zealand but failed to impress as they were crushed 4-1 in the T20Is and 3-0 in the ODIs.
Many of the national players are now featuring in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
PSL had been postponed midway through due to Pakistan’s border tensions with India, but has since resumed and will conclude on May 25.
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