Ahmed Shehzad: “For the past two to three years, he has not performed”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has lashed out at batsman Babar Azam, saying he has not performed for the past two to three years.
Azam used to be Pakistan’s most reliable run-scorer in all three formats of the game, but lately, his runs have dried up.
He recently featured in the ODI series against the West Indies, where he made 56 runs in three matches at an average of 18.66.
Apart from that series, the 30-year-old has not been involved in Pakistan’s T20I assignments, which included a three-match series against Bangladesh in Lahore, a T20I tour of Bangladesh, a T20I series against the West Indies, and a T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan.
Azam was also overlooked for the 2025 Asia Cup, where the men in green lost to India in the final.
Considering the sharp dip in Azam’s performance, Shehzad acknowledged that seeing such a decline is unexpected, especially from a player of his stature.
“For the past two to three years, he has not performed,” Shehzad was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan will now host South Africa for two Tests, three T20Is, and three ODIs, which will take place from October 12 to November 8.
Pakistan squad for South Africa Test series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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