Following Pakistan's shocking defeat in the first Test match against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made a solitary change for the second Test by excluding star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Many fans and experts have claimed that Shaheen's exclusion is a part of PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi's plan to conduct a surgery on the Pakistan team by rooting out non-performing players.
However, former cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has come out with a statement saying that Shaheen should not be singled out and be made as the scapegoat for Pakistan's losses at the T20 World Cup 2024 and in recent Test matches.
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What did Ahmed Shehzad say about Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi being made the scapegoat for Pakistan's poor performance?
Shehzad did not mince his words when he was reacting to the news that fast bowler Shaheen had been replaced by wrist spinner Abrar Ahmed in the squad for the second Test against Bangladesh on August 30.
He questioned if Shaheen is solely responsible for Pakistan's poor performances in test cricket and recent ICC tournaments, saying: "You lost to Zimbabwe, Ireland, USA, India, and now to Bangladesh. Is Shaheen Afridi the sole person who is responsible for all these failures?"
While he accepted that Shaheen was rightly dropped for his mediocre performance in recent matches, Shehzad demanded that every other Pakistan player should also be held accountable in the similar manner, without any exceptions.
"It is true that Shaheen was dropped because of his poor performance and attitude but he is solely not the reason for Pakistan's failures. When will the other poor performers be held responsible?" he asked.
Shehzad singled out two batters in particular, Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam, whom he believed should be taught a similar lesson and be held accountable for their poor performances.
"Look at Abdullah Shafique's record in his last 10 Test matches and how has Babar Azam performed in his last 14 Test matches," he added.
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What is Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique's record in Test cricket since 2023?
Despite being considered as Pakistan's talisman batter and as the number one ODI batter, Babar Azam has a shocking record in Test cricket. This has also contributed to the team's winless run in Test series since 2021.
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | 50s | 100s | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdullah Shafique | 13 | 396 | 30.5 | 1 | 1 | 201 |
| Babar Azam | 13 | 275 | 21.2 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
Shehzad further stated that every Pakistan player must be held responsible for their poor performances regardless of the social media support or fame, adding that "no one is bigger than the country".
Just because you removed Shaheen, it is not a big surgery, and that Pakistan is on the right track. Every player who is not performing well must be held accountable. No one is bigger than the country, no matter how PR they run or personal milestone they chase, they need to be held accountable.
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