Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan: “Coming back to international cricket after an injury is never easy. You always feel that pressure because you’re starting again from zero and have to prove yourself all over again”
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Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan said returning to international cricket after suffering an injury is “never easy”, as he had to prove himself all over again.
Abdur Rauf: “Babar has lost a lot of very important credentials of batting. This is not the platform to mend your mistakes; you are just building more pressure on yourself. Your advisors are piece[s] of s***. If you continue like this, how long will you survive?”
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Explaining his stance, Rauf said Azam should avoid participating in T20 tournaments such as the Big Bash League (BBL), arguing that such platforms do not help address flaws in his game.
Salman Ali Agha: “I was given the captaincy for this very reason because I had the ability”
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Pakistan batsman Salman Ali Agha said he was appointed T20I captain “because I had the ability”.
Pakistan batsman Babar Azam: “When I was dropped, there was pressure on me and I worked hard on my weaknesses”
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Pakistan top order batsman Babar Azam has conceded that losing his place in the T20I team brought pressure but also drove him to work on his flaws.
Saeed Ajmal: “Babar Azam was let down to such an extent that people openly said he wasn’t the kind of player needed in T20Is”
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Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal believes batsman Babar Azam was let down so much and put under excessive pressure in T20Is.
Mohammad Rizwan: “I expect a lot more of him too because of all he has done in the past. There is obviously an additional pressure because of it and I’m sure he feels that too”
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Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan said he expects a lot more from batsman Babar Azam considering everything he has achieved in the past.
Azhar Mahmood: “If you look at Abdullah and Babar, they haven’t played much first-class cricket. When there’s pressure in Test matches, you don’t always know how to handle it. The best option is to go and play domestic cricket”
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Pakistan red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood believes batsmen Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique will benefit by playing domestic cricket.
Mohammad Haris: “I might be under a little pressure but want to face Pat Cummins, Mark Wood and Jasprit Bumrah”
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Pakistan batsman Mohammad Haris said he relishes the idea of facing three fast bowlers in particular – India’s Jasprit Bumrah, Australia’s Pat Cummins, and England’s Mark Wood.
Wasim Akram: “the whole world now knows the plan against him. They say, ‘Okay, he’ll be bowling yorkers first up.’ So Afridi needs to have a Plan B”
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Pakistan fast bowling great Wasim Akram has called out left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi for being too predictable when bowling and urged him to develop a “Plan B”.
Umar Gul: “When Abbas Afridi was picked and I was with the Pakistan team as a bowling coach in New Zealand, I felt more pressure than him. People often criticise players with connections, but at the end of the day, it’s the performance that speaks”
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Former Pakistan pace bowler Umar Gul has admitted that during his time as a bowling coach with the national team, he was worried his nephew Abbas Afridi would be accused of benefitting from nepotism.
