Shaheen Shah Afridi has posted a picture with Pakistan captain Babar Azam on X (formerly Twitter) amid rumours of a dressing room argument between the two following Pakistan’s elimination from the Asia Cup.
This snap shows a couple playing chess together while sitting on a couch. Not a single player was wearing a Pakistan uniform, suggesting the meeting took place outside of international commitments. Shaheen captioned the post, “Family” with a heart emoji. These posts suggest that he continues to maintain a close relationship with Babar despite rumors of tension in the Pakistan dressing room.
family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VjKAFOTIE5
– Shaheen Shah Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) 1 September 2023
In the past few days, there have been media reports of a big difference of opinion following Pakistan’s narrow loss to Sri Lanka in the Asian Cup Super Fours. With this defeat, Pakistan missed out on advancing to the finals and was eliminated from the tournament. Apparently, during the post-match debriefing, Coach Babar criticized the performance of some players and told them they needed to take responsibility. In response, Shaheen reportedly advised Babar not to criticize the players but to acknowledge their contributions. The conflict reportedly led to Mohammad Rizwan stepping in to resolve the issue.
Pakistan heated dressing room argument (Bolnews):
– Babar told the players that they were not playing responsibly.
– Shaheen said. “At least appreciate who bowled and batted well.”
– Babar did not like to be disturbed and said, “I know who will do well.”
– Rizwan came to stop the argument. pic.twitter.com/CMsoHloQH8
– Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) 16. September 2023
Shaheen took two wickets in two balls in the last two overs of the match against Sri Lanka, propelling Pakistan to victory in the final stages of the match. Sri Lanka needed 12 at the start of the 41st over as the innings was shortened due to rain. However, Shaheen only conceded 4 runs in the over and furthermore he conceded 2 wickets, so Zaman his Khan was able to fend off the last wicket with his 8 wickets.
However, Charis Asaranka was able to push Zaman deep and score the points he needed as they needed two points from the last ball. It was Pakistan’s second consecutive loss after defeating India in the previous match.
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