Mohammad Hafeez blasts Pakistan selectors for ruining Shaheen Afridi’s career
Published - 06 Mar 2025, 06:35 PM
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Mohammad Hafeez has expressed concern over Shaheen Afridi’s exclusion from Pakistan’s ODI squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour. The former Pakistan captain also questioned the national selectors’ decision to leave out one of the country’s most experienced pacers, Shaheen Afridi.
Afridi, currently ranked ninth in the ICC ODI bowler rankings, has been a key part of Pakistan’s pace attack for years, but he was surprisingly omitted from the ODI squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand after a poor ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.
Mohammad Hafeez questions Shaheen Afridi’s omission from Pakistan’s ODI squad
Mohammad Hafeez pointed out that Afridi was first dropped from the Test squad and is now being overlooked in ODIs while raising questions about his role in the Pakistan cricket team. The former Pakistan team director admitted that Shaheen’s recent performances may not have been at his best, but completely sidelining him instead of helping him regain form is a harsh decision.
As quoted by Cricket Pakistan, Mohammad Hafeez said, “First, Shaheen Afridi is dropped from the Test squad, and the reason given is that he is being rested. But Shaheen himself says, ‘I am not resting; I have been dropped.’ Yes, he hasn’t been performing well in ODIs, and failure is a different issue, but this is not the right approach. First, he was removed from Tests, then from ODIs—so what exactly is Shaheen Afridi’s role now?”
Recently, the PCB announced the ODI and T20I squads for the New Zealand tour, scheduled from March 16 to April 5. The squad has some big changes, with Shaheen and Haris Rauf missing from the ODI team, while Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been left out of the T20I squad. However, Afridi has managed to find a place in the T20I squad for the five-match series in New Zealand.
Shaheen Afridi's poor ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign leads to his ODI snub
Shaheen failed to deliver in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In the group-stage match against New Zealand in Karachi, the star pacer gave away 68 runs in 10 overs without taking a wicket, with an economy rate of 6.80. His performance against India in Dubai was also disappointing, as he conceded 72 runs and took only two wickets in his eight overs at an economy rate of 9.25.
Meanwhile, Shoaib Akhtar recently claimed that Pakistan cricket is struggling because it lacks strong role models for the next generation. This comment did not sit well with Hafeez, who fired back by questioning the legacy of players from the 1990s.
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The 1990s heroes left nothing for Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez
Hafeez on the Game On Hai show on PTV Sport: “I am a huge fan of those who played in the 1990s, but when it comes to legacy, they left nothing for Pakistan. They didn't win an ICC event. As stars, as players, they were the mega superstars. But then they couldn't inspire us by winning an ICC event.
He added, “People idolize Babar Azam today, and that is because even if he didn't play a big hand in our 2017 Champions Trophy victory, he was there. So that thing about winning ICC events, this the superstars of the 1990s couldn't do, with all due respect to their talents.”
