"The real surgery should be done": Shahid Afridi blasts at Mohsin Naqvi and PCB after humiliating loss vs Bangladesh
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Former Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi has attacked the PCB's selection committee for drafting youngsters with no domestic experience into the Pakistan national team. These claims from Shahid Afridi came after Pakistan lost the bilateral series against Bangladesh.
Pakistan started their post-T20 World Cup campaign with a series against Bangladesh. As the Pakistan side toured Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series, they lost the first game following a humiliating batting collapse. However, they revived in the second game and handed the hosts a huge defeat in a rain-affected game.
Bangladesh, however, fancied their chances to win this home series, as this was their chance to propel themselves in the race for the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup. They crushed Pakistan's confidence with an 11-run defeat in the final ODI at Mirpur.
Pakistan picked too many debutants for ODIs against Bangladesh
Going into the Bangladesh series, the Pakistan team went on to have widespread changes and many of the senior cricketers were dropped. Babar Azam, the veteran batter, was also sidelined after his poor run in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Pakistan had seemingly picked too many of their youngsters from the U19 and the domestic setup who had not played many games, even in their domestic circuit. This seemed a lame decision from the Pakistani selectors.
However, PCB, while announcing their team, had announced the inclusion of players like Maaz Shadaqat, Muhammad Gaazi Ghori, Abdul Samad and Saad Masood as the youngsters who made their debut during this Bangladesh tour. However, what seemed truly shocking was that most of these players are relatively inexperienced in the domestic framework as well.
"The real surgery should be done on the selection committee, not on players." - Shahid Afridi
Former Pakistan captain and legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi went on to blast the PCB selectors panel for having made such naive selections going into such a crucial bilateral following a tragic exit from the ICC T20 World Cup. This series could have been handy to uplift the morale of these players.
"The World Cup performances were in front of you; now we have lost the Bangladesh series as well. According to me, I should pity the selection committee. The reason for this is that everyone in that selection committee is so experienced, yet you all don't have the idea of who should be appointed the captain of which format," Shahid Afridi blasted the selection committee.
Shahid Afridi continued, "In the name of surgery, the selection committee brought in new players who have only played a few first-class matches. Moreover, your domestic structure is not of such a level that it would produce such youngsters who could make their way into the Pakistan national team. Seniors who had promising ODI performances have been dropped, even though they have performed in ODIs."
"Neither you nor your domestic has that level of standard, nor do these youngsters have the calibre to make it to the Pakistan national team this early. They are just busting out the Pakistan cap for any and every player they wish for. The real surgery should be done on the selection committee, not on players," Shahid Afridi perforates the PCB management with his sharp remarks.
🚨 SHAHID AFRIDI SPOT ON 🔥
— Abdullah. (@Abdullahh_56) March 15, 2026
"In the name of surgery, the selection committee brought in new players who have only played a few first-class matches. Seniors have been dropped even though they have performances in ODIs. The real surgery should be done on the selection committee… pic.twitter.com/ju3jaykVJi
Pakistan are likely to play a Test series against Bangladesh after the PSL
After having concluded the ODI tour in Bangladesh, the Pakistan players will head back to the nation as they host the Pakistan Super League, which will draw players from around the globe for a batch of competitive franchise cricket in Pakistan over the next two months.
After the conclusion of the PSL, the next series would most likely be played against Bangladesh again. They would arrive for a two-match Test series, which will be part of the WTC 2025-27 cycle. By then, some crucial coaching panel changes are likely to be made by the PCB. However, the series is not yet confirmed officially by any of the two boards.
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Pakistan National Cricket Team PCB Shahid Afridi Bangladesh vs Pakistan Pakistan Cricket Board Aaqib Javed Mohsin NaqviAbout the Author
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