"We are not delivering the results that our nation expects from us": Shaheen Shah Afridi

[BouncerGuy]

Pakistan's T20 Captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi during the New Zealand vs Pakistan T20 series pre-game Presser:

"It’s a proud moment for me to represent Pakistan as a captain. We have been playing good cricket in the T20 format and if you look at the past, we have finished in good positions in big events. Unfortunately, we could not get the desired results that our nation wanted and will try to correct the small mistakes we have made. We have 17 matches before the World Cup, so we will try not to repeat the mistakes we made in the past. We will take this challenge on as a team, understanding what mistakes are being made here and what our nation expects from us, and we will aim to live up to those expectations."

“In regards to youngsters in the side, let me say that there are definitely some players who have already played before, like Azam Khan, Aamer Jamal, and Sahibzada Farhan. There are also some new players like Abbas Afridi and Haseebullah. We hope that all of them will be given a chance in these five matches and the matches that are coming up after that."

"Babar and Rizwan have been and continue to be the best opening pair for Pakistan. We currently have 17 matches before the T20 World Cup, so we will try to see what is our best team combination and which player suits what position. We will try to play all of them so that when we go to England, we know which player has to play at which position. There will be some changes, but we will try to make sure that when we go to England, we know everyone’s role in the team. We should know what is our best playing XI and who should be part of our bench. So, when we go to the T20 World Cup, we know which player will play at which position."


About his own fitness:

"I am absolutely fit. In two matches, I bowled a lot, but then there was so much fatigue on me that the management and the medical panel said that the chances of injury would increase if I continued playing. If there was any chance of winning the series, then I would have preferred playing for my country, which is why I was rested. My priority is always Test cricket, and I like this format very much. My brother had told me that if you play Test cricket, you can play all formats.”

“In my opinion, we are not delivering the results that our nation expects from us. In my career, I have taken many wickets in the first over - about 15 or 16 times, but now my nation expects me to deliver. We did not perform well as a team, but this can happen as sometimes there can be batting collapses.

"However, this team needs support when they are losing because when you are winning, everyone supports you. You should support your players and team at that time when they are going through difficult times. My goal is to remove the shortcomings that I have. I am trying to learn something new every day, and I will try to do what I can for my country until the end of my career.”


About Babar’s form:

“I don’t think Babar Azam’s form is that bad. He is the best, and he has scored so many runs for Pakistan on many occasions in the past. A few bad innings doesn’t make much of a difference, because he is a great player. He has performed as a captain and as a player for Pakistan, and Babar Azam will always be our best player.”


About lack of pace during tour of Australia:
​

"To be honest, we were ourselves looking at the speed o' meters and wondering, is this really us? Because we were unable to understand that despite putting in all the effort, the speeds were not going up. Seeing 130-132 KPH was disheartening and we thought this was pre-decided that we won't go above 130KPH."

"Sometimes your body gets fatigued, and you can’t bowl every ball at 140 plus in Test cricket, and this body is not a machine, so it takes some time. My effort is to make myself fit. Of course, if you lead the team, you have to lead from the front, and I will try to reduce the collapses and the shortcomings so that it is better for the team."

 

[MenInG]

Huge test for Shaheen's captaincy and also his own fitness!

 

[Slim]

Good words from Shaheen, i back up him to get us silverware. Champion player. I really hope he does not listen to Rizwan much.

 

[zarak]

Good that he is admitting his lack of pace rather than making excuses.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

The Nation stands with you Shaheen.

we know you can lead your team to victory.

Lets go champ.

 

[FearlessRoar]

The Nation stands with you Shaheen.

we know you can lead your team to victory.

Lets go champ.

Yes, of course, after skipping the Sydney Test, he is refreshed for T20Is.

 

[AMSS]

Super strange comments about pace. Looks like he and others in the team believe the speed guns were rigged.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

Yes, of course, after skipping the Sydney Test, he is refreshed for T20Is.

Its not as if the series was on the line.

The bowlers that played did a fantastic job it was the batting that was a let down.

Shaheen is bowler not a batter.

 

[AMSS]

Its not as if the series was on the line.

WTC points were on line

Pakistan's abominable record of being whitewashed was on line

 

[FearlessRoar]

Its not as if the series was on the line.

The bowlers that played did a fantastic job it was the batting that was a let down.

Shaheen is bowler not a batter.

Shaheen seems more focused on T20s now instead of Test Cricket, and it's irking me. I have had a lot of expectations from him to take at least 300 Test Wickets.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

WTC points were on line

Pakistan's abominable record of being whitewashed was on line

If the batting line up had put up a 250 score we could of defended it.

Again the bowling wasnt the issue it was the batting.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

Shaheen seems more focused on T20s now instead of Test Cricket, and it's irking me. I have had a lot of expectations from him to take at least 300 Test Wickets.

He has talked about his love for test cricket and it being the pinnacle of the sport so its definately not the case of being less focused on tests.

I was more dissapointed with raufs attitude for miss the test series in order to play bbl.

He had a chance to shine in perth and melbourne especially and he refused.

Shaheen will get 400 plus test wickets depending on how he is workload is managed.

If shaheen, naseem and rauf were rested for the needless afghan series and asia cup shaheen could of played the sydney test as he wouldnt of needed to rest due to burn out , Naseem would of gone to the wc and rauf wouldnt of been going in injured at the start of wc.

Poor mismanagement of players is costing us in important contests.

lets hope the PCB and managment learn from this in future assignments.

 

[FearlessRoar]

He has talked about his love for test cricket and it being the pinnacle of the sport so its definately not the case of being less focused on tests.

I was more dissapointed with raufs attitude for miss the test series in order to play bbl.

He had a chance to shine in perth and melbourne especially and he refused.

Shaheen will get 400 plus test wickets depending on how he is workload is managed.

If shaheen, naseem and rauf were rested for the needless afghan series and asia cup shaheen could of played the sydney test as he wouldnt of needed to rest due to burn out , Naseem would of gone to the wc and rauf wouldnt of been going in injured at the start of wc.

Poor mismanagement of players is costing us in important contests.

lets hope the PCB and managment learn from this in future assignments.

I don't think it's poor management, rather, it's a lack of strategic and long term planning regarding players.

 

[shariqnoor]

Hopefully people will now quit saying that Shaheen is not fit. He's stating himself that he's absolutely fit. His lack of pace isn't down to fitness. It never was. It's clearly terminal. He's never going back to 145kph again.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

But fatigue never makes your pace to drop from 145 to 130 kmph

There must be some fitness issue that Shaheen is hiding i guess.

 

[shamaan]

But fatigue never makes your pace to drop from 145 to 130 kmph

There must be some fitness issue that Shaheen is hiding i guess.

it all collorates.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

I don't think it's poor management, rather, it's a lack of strategic and long term planning regarding players.

Thats poor management bro.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

But fatigue never makes your pace to drop from 145 to 130 kmph

There must be some fitness issue that Shaheen is hiding i guess.

It effects Different bodies in different ways.

Shoaib could bowl lightning quick with crocked knees but waqar/ zahid/ shabbir lost their lightning speed after back injuries etc.

Shaheen is only 23 hes got plenty left in the tank but he needs to be given timeout here and there by not wasting him, naseem and rauf versus the lesser teams like the afghan series and asia cup.

These games should be given to the likes of Zaman, Wasim Jr, Ihsanullah, Hasnain, Arshad iqbal, Amir Khan etc

 

[ravisurya]

So he is blaming the broadcasters for the low speeds of Pakistani bowlers. Looks like another conspiracy theory.

 

[BouncerGuy]

So he is blaming the broadcasters for the low speeds of Pakistani bowlers. Looks like another conspiracy theory.

I don't think there is any blame on the broadcasters. He is just saying that he is also shocked to see his own pace and other Pakistan bowlers. Blame would have been when he had said that I was bowling fast but the broadcasters were showing almost 5-10kph less than actual speed. He admitted that his body was tired so pace decline is understandable.

 

[MenInG]

About lack of pace during tour of Australia:
​

"To be honest, we were ourselves looking at the speed o' meters and wondering, is this really us? Because we were unable to understand that despite putting in all the effort, the speeds were not going up. Seeing 130-132 KPH was disheartening and we thought this was pre-decided that we won't go above 130KPH."

"Sometimes your body gets fatigued, and you can’t bowl every ball at 140 plus in Test cricket, and this body is not a machine, so it takes some time. My effort is to make myself fit. Of course, if you lead the team, you have to lead from the front, and I will try to reduce the collapses and the shortcomings so that it is better for the team."

Still no improvement.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Still no improvement.

Finn Allen ate him alive , put him completely out of the attack. 25 runs in 1 over by Kaptaan

 

[Saj]

Looked clueless as skipper.

Does he really think he is good enough to bat at number 7!

 

[ravisurya]

I don't think there is any blame on the broadcasters. He is just saying that he is also shocked to see his own pace and other Pakistan bowlers. Blame would have been when he had said that I was bowling fast but the broadcasters were showing almost 5-10kph less than actual speed. He admitted that his body was tired so pace decline is understandable.

What does he mean when he says it was pre decided?

 

[MenInG]

What does he mean when he says it was pre decided?

You need to watch the video. Translations are not good.

He was saying something like they were trying their best to bowl fast but it was almost like 'something' didnt want the bowling speeds to be shown as good -

 

[FearlessRoar]

He is already struggling with pace, and his ability to handle swing is not the same as it was. Despite being rested for the 3rd Test against Australia, he is now being given a NOC for ILT20.

https://ppforum.pakpassion.net/thre...c-policy-for-t20-leagues.289936/post-12045318

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Salman Butt in an interview lambasted on T20 Captain Shaheen Afridi and his side with following incisive remarks:

"The poorest thing that happened today was before the game was even played ie When someone asked Shaheen why you opted to bowl first? He said that we decided so not because of the pitch condition but because of a good win record ratio of the team that bats second on this ground."

"Except Babar and Rizwan, all in your batting line-up are on trial basis and are unprepared for the World Cup. If you had put runs on the board that would have exerted pressure on the opposition. Shaheen being the senior bowler along with a fastest bowler(Haris Rauf) and Nawaz, the spinner, who has been playing cricket for 7 to 8 years now, who made a comeback today, was unable to make even a single ball spin and all he was doing, was to just bowl fast. Bowling line are being thrashed with 200 runs as if they are being counted as good deeds.”

"If the wicket falls in the powerplay then you need to send Fakhar next instead of Babar at 3, so he (Fakhar) could utilize the powerplay to the maximum."

"Haris Rauf is getting exposed badly. He says that he won't play red ball cricket and now is being thrashed in the white ball cricket too. He needs to bowl on good pitch length instead of firing wayward rockets because it's not a tape ball match but internationals."

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Salman Butt in an interview lambasted on T20 Captain Shaheen Afridi and his side with following incisive remarks:

"The most worst thing happened even before the commencement of match ie When someone asked Shaheen why you opted to bowl first? He said that we decided so not because of the pitch condition but because of a good win record ratio of the team that bats second on this ground."

"Except Babar and Rizwan, all in your batting line-up are on trial basis and are unprepared for the World Cup. You can exert pressure on the opposition only when you have runs on the board. Shaheen being the senior guy along with your fastest bowler(Haris Rauf) and Nawaz should have stopped the opposition from scoring 200 runs. They are leaking runs as if it is an act of virtue. Nawaz has been playing cricket for 7 to 8 years now but he was unable to make even a single ball spin and all he was doing, was to just bowl fast."

"If the wicket falls in the powerplay then you need to send Fakhar next instead of Babar at 3, so he(Fakhar) could utilize the powerplay to the maximum."

"Haris Rauf is getting exposed badly. He says that he won't play red ball cricket and now is being thrashed in the white ball cricket too. He needs to bowl on good pitch length instead of firing wayward rockets because it's not a tape ball match but internationals."

This is really shocking from a captain who never even bothered to assess the pitch whether it's suitable to bowl first or not. I can imagine now where our cricket will be standing in the next few years.

 

[Pace]

It seems that Shaheen has been "placed" as captain due to his connections (wether its through his father in law, who knows). He seems at sea, not really contributing with the ball and does not deserve coming in at number 7 and swish at the ball like its tape cricket.

 

[BouncerGuy]

2 games remain and now the mission is to save Pakistan from a whitewash but according to shaheen, there is nothing wrong with the team and all is ok. So expect the same stuff in the remaining games as well.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

So what improvements are they bringing if they know the nation is not happy? Giving such statements doesn't help unless they actually show progress. It's the same old story we often hear from the captain of Pakistan after losing the game.

 

[MenInG]

After winning the 5th T20I, Shaheen Shah Afridi in end of series presser:

"I would say that our effort was to prepare our team for the World Cup and make changes that benefit the team. You don’t start getting results right away. If you give a youngster a chance, it’s not easy for them to face such bowlers in these conditions. We are preparing for the World Cup and trying to do what we can to improve the team. When we go to England, we want everything to be okay for us. We tried to determine which batting position is best suited for each player. We have given Haseebullah a chance so that he gets a chance and gains confidence. This will allow him to perform in the home series in Pakistan in the future and help us prepare for the World Cup. It will be clear to us who can play at which position, so it should not happen that we have no idea about this if somebody gets injured. We want to be clear about where our team is standing."


Regarding any positives from this tour:

"I would say that Abbas Afridi is a very good batter and a good fielder. He can bring stability to the team’s bowling, and he is a player who wants to give his best. Even today, if you see, he went to bat and tried for shorts. Abbas Afridi is a good prospect for Pakistan. Saim Ayub could not perform, but he is a player who has the ability to serve Pakistan well in the coming days."


About his coordination with management:

"We are all trying to do good for Pakistan and thinking about what we can do better for Pakistan. There is no such player here, or there is no such person in team management who thinks that Pakistan should lose. Here, everyone has come to win. Sometimes, as I said, you don’t get results right away. You have to lose something to gain something, and as a unit, we have tried to give some players a chance to play. We have talked with everyone with clarity about what is better for him. We have taken advice from everyone, and because of that, we finalized our playing 11. All things have been done with advice. It is not that only my advice was on which all things have been done or only Rizwan’s was. Some things were not good in what we have done, and some were good, but the things that have gone well, we will try to use those learnings in the future."


About his coordination with Hafeez:

"When I played as a player with Hafeez, he always supported youngsters and has always tried to give his best for this team. If someone wants to practice extra or is not performing well, then Hafeez always backs him. You need such a person who backs you because when you are winning, everyone backs you. But when you lose, then at that time, if you have someone to back, you become stronger."


About experiments done in Afghanistan series and this series:

"You cannot say we did not get anything positive from this tour. We have got Saim Ayub, we have got Ihsanullah from that tour (series against Afghanistan) and we got Zaman Khan. No doubt Zaman Khan has played PSL, as has Saim Ayub and Ihsanullah also but remember that international cricket has its own pressure, and these guys have played there. As I said earlier, you do not get results right away. You have to work hard if you want to achieve something. This is a process that you follow. Even if these players are not even playing, then you have a bench that when someone gets injured, then they are available. It means that we have players available so that it is easy to build a good team combination whenever we need players."


About Pakistan Bowling:

"Yes, we have absolutely struggled. It’s not that these players have done all good. Some did well, some did not, but every player has to go through such a time. As a unit, if we see positive things, then it will be beneficial for us. In some matches, I did not play well, in some matches, Haris did not play well. But if you do not test out different combinations, you will not be able to find success."


About Captaincy Experience:

"As a player, I try to do my best for Pakistan. If any player asks for advice, then I absolutely give it. I always want to be with the players like a friend. When you are not a captain, you stay within yourself. But when you become a captain, you have to look after all players. So, my effort is to communicate well with every player and help them improve their performance. I think of this team as a family, so I keep everyone together like a family."

 

[Abdullah]

Need to stop the experimenting now and settle on the core 13 players.
From what I have seen I would bring Asif in from the cold. Not saying he has all the answers but from what I have seen he is still the best guy to come in and get you a 22 (7) type innings.
I don't need or expect him to make lots of runs so just need high impact.

We need to pick this squad moving forward.

Saim
Babar
Rizwan
Fakhar
Ifti
Shadab
Asif
Nawaz- ( would like somebody better but number 8 needs to be able to bat)
Abbas/Rauf
Shaheen ( should be banned from batting above number 9)
Naseem

Haris should end up being the back up bat (though Azam can do a hitting job in the windies but fielding is an issue)
Abrar needs to be tested in the PSL properly as we need another spinner in the squad given conditions. I dont trust Mir at all.
That leaves 2 spots. 1 is between Zaman and Junior

These are the players we should be focussing on now.
One thing is for sure we can't have the bowlers starting from 8. If Abbas shows some consistency with hitting he can maybe come in at 8 and we don't look light

 

[BouncerGuy]

This series against New Zealand did not end well for Pakistan and the new skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi. Good luck for the next series though. Hope we see some difference.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1749005211686015410

 

[greatest]

Yes, winning and losing is part of the game but the most important thing is the journey. The journey should never end.

 

[greatest]

Where is Shaheen's next journey? ILT20 or PSL? This journey will never end.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

The Core squad for all formats should be the following players:


Abdullah S
Saim
Fakhar
Babar
Riz
Muhammad Harris
Shan
Imam
Saud
Ifti (Till a suitable replacement can be found)
M Nafy
Omair bin yousuf
Usama Baloch
Jamal
Abrar
Shadab
Naseem
Shaheen
Ihsanullah
rauf
Abbas afridi
Was Jr
Zaman
Hasnain
Zeeshan Zameer
Mehrab

 

[Cricket Warrior]

The Core squad for all formats should be the following players:


Abdullah S
Saim
Fakhar
Babar
Riz
Muhammad Harris
Shan
Imam
Saud
Ifti (Till a suitable replacement can be found)
M Nafy
Omair bin yousuf
Usama Baloch
Jamal
Abrar
Shadab
Naseem
Shaheen
Ihsanullah
rauf
Abbas afridi
Was Jr
Zaman
Hasnain
Zeeshan Zameer
Mehrab

u r waiting for iftikhar's replacement? means we have to wait for another 10 years ?

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

u r waiting for iftikhar's replacement? means we have to wait for another 10 years ?

It means players have to be hungry to put on the Green jersey and make a space in the side.

Ifti showed today he can still do a job with the ball on a used wicket.

 

[IMMY69]

the results WE expect from us

 

[greatest]

Results will come when you and others would take a break and contemplate on what went wrong and how to fix it. Playing non stop leagues would not develop your analytical capabilities.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

This same team will start giving results. All we need to do just remove Shaheen as captain, he doesn't have any leadership skills in him.

 

[Misia]

The Core squad for all formats should be the following players:


Abdullah S
Saim
Fakhar
Babar
Riz
Muhammad Harris
Shan
Imam
Saud
Ifti (Till a suitable replacement can be found)
M Nafy
Omair bin yousuf
Usama Baloch
Jamal
Abrar
Shadab
Naseem
Shaheen
Ihsanullah
rauf
Abbas afridi
Was Jr
Zaman
Hasnain
Zeeshan Zameer
Mehrab

I would be happy with this as a squad as a whole with a stipulation in there contract stating ( no T20 league(s) to be played within 6wks prior to any international competitions) sign the dotted line if you want to represent Pakistan Cricket !

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

I would be happy with this as a squad as a whole with a stipulation in there contract stating ( no T20 league(s) to be played within 6wks prior to any international competitions) sign the dotted line if you want to represent Pakistan Cricket !

Forgot Dahani and Salman Ali aswell bro.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

This same team will start giving results. All we need to do just remove Shaheen as captain, he doesn't have any leadership skills in him.

Take it EZE bro. He won LQ two titles under his leadership.

your being harsh to judge him after 5 matches with some new players on show.

Give the lad a chance

I personally would of gone for Riz.

But we ve got to back him.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Results suffer due to ongoing politics and lobby formation in the dressing room, a continuous cycle one lobby goes and another lobby comes

 

[Misia]

Forgot Dahani and Salman Ali aswell bro.

Main stipulation in contact should be " you cannot play any T20 League franchise at least 6 weeks prior" international fixtures

At least we will see how many genuinely want to represent Pakistan!

 

[FearlessRoar]

Shaheen Shah Afridi didn't impress much for Desert Vipers against Sharjah Warriors in ILT20 2024, taking just one wicket with figures of 1/34 in 4 overs. I wonder why he opted to play in this league.

 

[Saj]

I just feel that the priorities of Pakistani cricketers these days is to make as much money as possible from T20 league after T20 league.

International cricket seems to be an afterthought and not their number one priority.

 

[pakfan54588]

I just feel that the priorities of Pakistani cricketers these days is to make as much money as possible from T20 league after T20 league.

International cricket seems to be an afterthought and not their number one priority.

From what i read from media outlets hafeez was also mentioning this.
This is now getting beyond control also pcb seems helpless andcannot do anything about it

 

[Kroll]

I just feel that the priorities of Pakistani cricketers these days is to make as much money as possible from T20 league after T20 league.

International cricket seems to be an afterthought and not their number one priority.

It should be, playing for the jersey and nation and all that. But in reality we know its not true but as far international sports compensation is concerned, Pak cricketers are paid poorly so to an extent can't blame them for chasing the money.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

This team is a bunch of losers. Selectors need to start afresh with players who are hungry to win.

 

[sam_ahm]

Observed that after skipping final test against Australia to manage his workload, Shaheen is playing the ILT20 for some Desert Vipers

Shows where his priorities are, I can understand some XYZ player but this guy is a national captain.

 

[mazkhan]

This guy was comfortably outbowled by the other pacers.
Shahzad , jamal and mir hamza

He was also trundling at 125kpk and he's the captain cummins had worse injuries than shaheen and came back and has kept his pace .

Joseph heroics truelly embarrasses shaheens team.

 

[mazkhan]

It's a raid get their propagandist and connections to hype them loot enough money whilst contracted, leach of as long as its possible , stat pad against minnows and then eat as much fast food, Mitta and fizzy drinks as possible till the gravy train ends and they get discarded. These pakistani cricketers have become the new maulvis peers that's what maulvis do in pakistan a full loot bazar in action.

Not one of our players looks like an athlete I would eat a sheet of a4 lined paper if anyone of our player could run as fast as Joseph when he took off with his winning last wicket now that's a proper athlete.