At the 2023 World Cup, Pakistan's campaign did not quite go as planned. The 1992 winners crashed out of the competition at the league stage, marking the third consecutive tournament where they failed to qualify for the semifinals.
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The tournament prompted a mass reshuffle at the board and team level, with chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq and all-format captain Babar Azam stepping down.
Former fast bowler Wahab Riaz was named as Inzamam's replacement, while Shan Masood and Shaheen Shah Afridi were named Test and T20I captains respectively.
Trouble in Pakistan camp? Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel argue in training before Australia series
Pakistan's first assignment after the World Cup is a red-ball tour down under, where a new-look side will be led by Shan Masood. However, there appeared to be some friction between a couple of players on Tuesday.
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A conversation between former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and youngster Saud Shakeel surfaced on social media, where the two can be heard arguing over a swap of some kind. As per Cricket Pakistan, Sarfaraz told Saud that he 'won't be of any use to me'.
Seems like saud is still angry that he was benched for 33 games by sarfaraz
— Hesy Rock | PZ💛 (@hesy_rock) December 4, 2023
and this is not the way to behave with youngster man (so unfortunate) #PAKvAUS #PAKvsAUS #BabarAzam𓃵 pic.twitter.com/7ujAJHEtt3
This kind of friction is precisely what Pakistan will have wanted to avoid after a turbulent period following the World Cup. Whether this was a simple disagreement or something deeper will be known in time, but now is the time for the side to present a united front.
Pakistan will take on a Prime Minister's XI in a warm-up match in Canberra tomorrow, before the first Test against Australia begins in Perth on December 14.
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