Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has weighed in on the exclusion of Babar Azam from the national team’s T20I setup, questioning the logic behind dropping one of the team’s most consistent performers.
Speaking in a recent interview, Afridi was asked whether Babar and Mohammad Rizwan still deserve a place in the national side, especially with the Asia Cup and ICC T20 World Cup around the corner.
The 48-year-old responded by stressing the importance of consistency and strike rate in modern T20 cricket.
“I believe that, given the current situation I’m seeing, if we talk about strike rate, then the players should have an even better strike rate,” Shahid Afridi said.
He then expressed clear disappointment over Babar’s exclusion, highlighting how the former captain has repeatedly delivered under pressure and that his strike rate is comparable to the young players currently being tested.
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“Otherwise, Babar [Azam] is a consistent performer. He’s the kind of player that, when he steps onto the field, you expect him to score runs. He was playing with a similar strike rate, too, so we shouldn’t have dropped Babar him,” he stated.
Shahid Afridi maintained that backing young players is fine, but only if they offer something better.
“The players who are currently playing are fine, you’re giving new boys a chance. But they should be consistent and have a good strike rate,” he added.
It’s worth noting that both Babar and Rizwan have not featured in a T20I since December 2024.
Under the new setup led by head coach Mike Hesson, both have found themselves out of the selectors’ immediate plans.
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