Afridi Roasts Pakistan Coach Mike Hesson For Ruining Babar Azam's T20I Career

Afridi slams Mike Hesson for demoting Babar [Source: AFP]

Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has lambasted head coach Mike Hesson for his bizarre tactics surrounding struggling batsman Babar Azam. Hesson has been criticised for not promoting Babar at the top and playing him at 4, a position he is not familiar with.

Afridi was also amused by Hesson sticking with Saim Ayub despite the batter not performing with the bat as an opener. Pakistan qualified for the T20 World Cup Super 8 after beating the Netherlands, Namibia, and the USA, but their biggest test came against England.

Pakistan posted 164 against England, but Saim Ayub failed to deliver the goods, scoring only 7 off 7 balls and being sent packing early. Another player who disappointed against England was Babar, who got off to a start (25), but couldn’t score big as his strike rate once again came under scrutiny.

Shahid Afridi's Babar Azam dig at Mike Hesson

Looking at Saim’s poor run of form in the World Cup, and Babar batting out of position, Shahid Afridi was displeased with the head coach, as he blasted him for unusual batting tactics.

"He had a senior option in the form of Babar Azam, who is not ideally a player to play at no. 4. You had planned to play at no. 4, and now you have lost a bunch of matches, so you should make him swap to his natural role at the top," opined Afridi.

"Especially with Saim Ayub playing in the first few matches as an opener, Babar should have replaced him after he failed to produce an impact as an opener," Afridi added.

For reference, Babar always delivered the goods for Pakistan at the top, but has been a failure at number 4.

Also Read: Black Magic Done On Babar Azam; Indians Accused

Shahid Afridi urges Hesson to at-least play Fakhar Zaman

Not only Babar, but Afridi also pointed out that Fakhar Zaman, another senior batter, is no longer a part of the playing XI despite him being a match-winner for Pakistan.

"They also had another option in Fakhar Zaman. But for him, I can consider that he is such a player who can perform equally well in the middle order, coming in at no. 5 or 6."

Fakhar, a designated opener, was pushed down the order at number 5 to accommodate Sahibada Farhan and Saim Ayub. While Farhan has been a revelation for the Men in Green, Ayub has consistently failed at the top, and Afridi wants Hesson to include Fakhar at the top to replace Ayub.

Afridi demands Pakistan to drop Shaheen Afridi

Shahid Afridi is the father-in-law of pacer Shaheen Afridi, and the speedster was dropped midway through the World Cup campaign for his poor performances.

He made his return against England, and despite the team losing the match, Shaheen scalped 4 important wickets and kept Pakistan in the scheme of things. However, despite his brilliance, Afridi wants Pakistan to drop his son-in-law, as it would build anger inside him, and Shaheen will perform better.

" Everyone was criticising Shaheen, but he wasn't listening. So, I decided to bash him, and deliberately made him angry, so that he channels the anger towards the right direction (taking wickets vs England)

"I will drop Shaheen for the Sri Lanka game as well. I will hurt his ego. That is how he will perform."

In reality, after a stellar performance against England, Shaheen will certainly not be dropped for the all-important Super 8 match against Sri Lanka.

Also Read: End Of Roads For Rashid Khan, Dramatic Captaincy Shift In Afghanistan