Shahid Afridi HITS BACK At Wasim Akram After Legendary Pacer SLAMS Pakistan For Champions Trophy 2025 Debacle
Photo : GT20 Canada/PCB
Pakistan had a disastrous campaign in the Champions Trophy 2025. They hosted their first ICC tournament since 1996, and were knocked out just five days into their campaign, after thumping losses in their first two matches against New Zealand and India. In fact, their third match against Bangladesh was washed out, meaning that they ended their Champions Trophy campaign at home without a single win. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side faced heavy criticism from a number of Pakistan legends, including the great Wasim Akram. Shahid Afridi has now slammed Akram for his criticism of the Pakistan team.
What Did Wasim Akram Say?
In an interaction on the Ten Sports show, 'The Dressing Room, ' Wasim Akram suggested that PCB should take a bold step and make at least 5-6 changes in the squad to start preparing for the T20 World Cup 2026.
“Enough is enough. We are losing in white-ball with these players from some couple of years. The time is to take a bold step. What is the bold step? As Waqar Younis was saying, bring young players, fearless cricketers, bring them in white ball cricket. Even if you have to make 5-6 big changes, do that, lose for the next six months, support those players. Start making the 2026 T20 World Cup team from now,” Wasim said.
Shahid Afridi Responds To Wasim Akram
In an interaction with Samaa TV, Shahid Afridi said even though Wasim Akram suggested that 6-7 players should be changed, there are no players on the bench to replace them as he questioned the standards of domestic cricket.
“I was listening to Wasim bhai that day. Yes, we all got carried away by emotions (after loss to India). He said that 6-7 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?,” Afridi said
“We may drop the players, but who will we bring? Even if we do that, people will start crying about it again. They (PCB) will say that we are preparing for the World Cup. And once it sends, the surgery will begin again,” he added.
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