PAK vs WI: It Was A Foolish Decision - Shahid Afridi On Playing Mohammad Haris

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi slammed national chief selector Mohammad Wasim for including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa player Mohammad Haris in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against West Indies.

Pakistan swept the series 3-0 to move up to fourth place in the ICC World Cup Super League points table. Opener Imam-ul-Haq scored 199 in three innings at an average of 66.33 with half-centuries in each game while skipper Babar Azam ended second-most run-scorer in the series with 181 runs at 60.33. Spin bowlers Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan finished with the most wickets – seven in three games, in the series.

PAK vs WI: Mohammad Haris failed to impress on his international debut

Haris, who has played 23 List A games and scored 544 runs at an average of 34, was handed an international debut in the ODI series against West Indies. The 21-year-old didn’t get the opportunity to bat in the first match but made no use of the remaining two games, registering 6 and 0 in the two innings.

I also back the inclusion of young players but at least let them play domestic cricket: Shahid Afridi

Haris was selected as a backup wicketkeeper for Mohammad Rizwan in the Pakistan team. Afridi backfired Pakistan selectors for pushing Haris very early to the international stage and asked them to let him gain enough domestic experience first.

“It was a foolish decision by these people. I won’t say this to Ramiz Raja but if Mohammad Wasim is listening, I ask him to don’t take such steps. Why are you selecting a player who performed in two T20 matches for ODI cricket? Is the process that easy to earn Pakistan’s cap? He [Haris] should have played T20 cricket if he was selected on the basis of performance in the shortest format,” Afridi told Samaa TV. 

“I also back the inclusion of young players but at least let them play domestic cricket. You have Sarfaraz and Rizwan as well. It is not as if Rizwan’s cricket has finished that you have brought in another player,” he added.

Haris has played for Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He scored 166 runs in five innings for Zalmi in PSL 2022 and bagged two player of the match awards.

Also Read: PAK vs WI: Babar Azam Labeled Me A “Buddha” – Pakistan All-Rounder Shadab Khan