Since coming into the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the chief selector, Shahid Afridi has made some big changes in the national team. His decision to recall former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed in the Test team for the New Zealand series became a huge talking point on social media. And now, Afridi has reportedly barred the selection of batters in the T20 team if their strike-rate is less than 135 in the domestic circuit. Over the last few months, a number of Pakistani batters have been subjected to huge criticism over their poor strike-rate in the shortest format. The new rule, set by Afridi, could see some drastic changes being made in the team.
Afridi's appointment as the interim chief selector in the Pakistan Cricket Board came as a result of Najam Sethi's appointment as the chairman. With the aim being to push Pakistan's men's national cricket team to a different spectrum, changes are being made on a regular basis by the new PCB management.
The latest move by Afridi, to bar the selection of batters below a certain strike-rate, however, is a drastic one.
"No batter in T20 will be selected for Pakistan who will not have a strike-rate of more than 135 in domestic cricket," Afridi was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
While Afridi has made it clear that he wants a strike-rate of over 135 in domestic T20s, it isn't yet clear whether the ruling will be applicable to the current members of the Pakistan team as well.
Notably, the likes of Babar Azam and Mohamad Rizwan have courted plenty of criticism over their poor scoring rate in the past. Whether this ruling will put them under pressure to change their approach towards the game.