"I Have Concerns...": Ex-Pakistan Captain Pinpoints 'Lacklustre' Area In Champions Trophy 2025 Squad
Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah are set to lead Pakistan's pace battery in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy
Former captain Rashid Latif urged the Pakistan Cricket Board to overhaul the team's pace attack, looking beyond frontline pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, as he felt they were not “contributing enough.” Afridi and Shah are set to lead Pakistan's pace battery in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. “When was the last time Afridi delivered a match-winning performance?” Latif questioned. He said even Shah had not been able to deliver consistently despite having a long stint with the national team in different formats.
“Naseem has also not contributed significantly to Pakistan's success,” the former wicketkeeper-batsman said in an interview during a channel.
He said the defeat against New Zealand in the ongoing tri-series opener was an example of how in recent times the pacers had not delivered for Pakistan.
“I have concerns over the form of Shaheen, Naseem and others and I feel they have not performed as expected.” He urged the PCB to take a fresh approach by finding new fast bowlers and ensuring that senior players were held accountable for their underwhelming performances.
He felt that players like Khushdil Shah and Salman Agha are frequently criticised, while senior players like Afridi, Babar Azam, and Muhammad Rizwan rarely face scrutiny for their performances.
"No one is talking about these players' lacklustre performances," Latif said.
Legendary Javed Miandad noted that the selectors were depending heavily on the pace attack to deliver in the Champions Trophy.
“I am hopeful that the pace bowlers will deliver when it matters for us in this tournament. We have just one specialist spinner and the rest are not regular spinners,” Miandad said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Shaheen Afridi
Pakistan Cricket Team