On Thursday, Pakistan took on Sri Lanka in both teams' final Super Four encounter of the 2023 Asia Cup, knowing that the winner would go in to meet India in the final while the loser would be knocked out of the tournament.
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On the day, Pakistan put up a challenging 252 in a rain-shortened innings of 42 overs, thanks to Mohammad Rizwan's 86 not out. In reply, Sri Lanka rode on Kusal Mendis' knock of 91 before Charith Asalanka took them home with a quick double off the last ball of the match to finish on 49 not out.
The loss sent Pakistan, the No 1 ODI side coming into the tournament, out of the Asia Cup. To make matters worse, the team finished bottom of the Super Four standings after Bangladesh beat India on Friday.
On Saturday night, reports from Pakistani news outlet BolNews claimed that a rift ensued in the Pakistan dressing room after the defeat.
According to the reports, captain Babar Azam began addressing the team, claiming that they had not played responsibly, a statement which did not go down well with Shaheen Shah Afridi. Shaheen reportedly challenged Babar, saying, "At least appreciate those who bowled and batted well," before Babar retorted with "I know which players are performing well". At this point, Mohammad Rizwan stepped in to stop the argument.
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'Talk to professionals around you and improve your captaincy' - Shahid Afridi's advice for Babar Azam
The news of this argument sparked rumours of a rift in the Pakistan camp between Shaheen and Babar, two of the senior-most players. Speaking to Samaa TV, former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi weighed in, speaking about Babar Azam. He said,
We are going to World Cup. All the seniors, including head coach, Mickey, have to talk to him [Babar Azam]. Make him strong. Don't fear from making tough decisions. Don't worry about losses. Either you win, or you learn.
My issue is, you've been leading the side for 3 years. Come on. There are professionals around you. Talk to them and improve your captaincy. You're a big player, but you would want people to also remember you as captain.
He also went on to speak about his one-month stint as PCB chief selector in January, mentioning how 'captain gave me one report, players gave me different ones' and that there was 'broken communication' in the team.
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Afridi's critical comments of Babar have stirred up a section of the Pakistan fanbase, which believes that the former national team star is attempting to use his influence on Pakistan cricket in order to appoint his son-in-law, Shaheen, as captain.
Whether this is true or not is anyone's guess, but this is an unwelcome distraction for the Pakistan team, which is attempting to gear up for the World Cup amid the loss of two premier fast bowlers, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, to injury.
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