Babar Azam gets a reality check from Shahid Afridi before Champions Trophy 2025 gets underway
Published - 19 Feb 2025, 12:57 PM | Updated - 19 Feb 2025, 01:07 PM
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Former Pakistan captain and legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi stunned one and all with his golden advice to Babar Azam ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Shahid Afridi was one of the most critical of Babar Azam’s captaincy and his decision to replace Shaheen Afridi as Pakistan captain after resigning from the position last year.
After the 2023 ODI World Cup failure, Babar stepped down as Pakistan captain across the formats, and Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi were handed the reins of the Test and T20I teams. However, under Afridi, the Men in Green’s struggles continued, leading to the pacer’s removal from the captaincy.
Shahid Afridi shares strong message for Babar Azam ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025
And Babar yet again took over as Pakistan’s white-ball captain ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, and this move didn’t sit well with the father-in-law of Shaheen Afridi, and Shahid has openly slammed the star batter for being so selfish and not supporting the pacer as the leader.
However, things have now changed as the star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan was handed the captaincy of the white-ball team. As Pakistan is set to gear up to defend their ICC Champions Trophy, Shahid has set aside past grievances and shared a special message for Babar.
Shahid Afridi has sent a strong message to Babar Azam ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting on February 19 in Karachi. The former Pakistani skipper urged Babar Azam to step up and deliver match-winning performances for Pakistan in the tournament.
Shahid Afridi wants Babar Azam to become a true match-winner
The legendary all-rounder believes that true greatness comes from making an impact when the team needs it the most. Afridi emphasized that even a small but crucial contribution in key moments can leave a lasting legacy, and he expects the same performance from the star batter.
Shahid Afridi said on Star Sports, “He should become a match-winner. The more matches you make Pakistan win, the more the name will grow. I mean, some of our best memories, we didn't win every match, but the matches we have won, we will remember forever.
So, be a part of that performance, even if it's a little, but according to the occasion and according to the needs of the team. I will never talk about big performances. A little performance, such as a performance that the captain or the team has a demand from the player at that time, that that performance should be done by one player. So, that performance matters a lot.”
Read Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: PCB hoists Indian flag in Karachi after social media uproar
Shahid Afridi order Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi to win the Champions Trophy
In the end, the legendary cricketer said that Babar and Shaheen Afridi have enough experience, and now is the time to rise to the occasion and deliver game-winning performances that will be remembered forever. He signed off by saying, “Babar, Shaheen, and others. All of them have played a lot of cricket. Now give such performances, with which Pakistan can win games.”
What’s the one thing @SAfridiOfficial would tell @babarazam258 before the defending champions begin their ICC #ChampionsTrophy 2025 campaign? 💪🏻🏏
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 19, 2025
Catch the IND-PAK legends at their candid best on 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻! 𝗝𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻 on… pic.twitter.com/UnJv7POk7q
Notably, the Men in Green will kick off the Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday, February 19, against New Zealand at the National Cricket Stadium in Karachi.
