‘Pakistan was destroyed that day’: Former cricketer blames Babar Azam-Shaheen Afridi rift for team’s downfall

Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, left. celebrates with teammate Babar Azam (AP Photo) Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali has claimed that the captaincy disputes between Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi played a major role in the decline of the national team.Basit’s comments came after Pakistan’s miserable performance in England, where they have already surrendered the three-match Test series 2-0 after a 194-run defeat at Lord’s. The visitors faced widespread criticism for their performances, with the team struggling to show any fight in both opening Tests.But according to Basit, Pakistan’s problems go much deeper than the results so far. He believes a leadership tussle between two of the country’s senior players has created a devastating rift in the set-up.“Babar Azam is not a strong captain. I am not talking about it based on his performance in England. He made many wrong decisions. The main reason for the downfall of Pakistan cricket is the rift between Shaheen and Babar. When there was a disagreement between them over captaincy, Pakistan cricket was destroyed that day,” Ali said on ‘Game Plan’.He also suggested that the fallout from the dispute is still visible in Pakistan cricket.“Many statements have been made that Shaheen is a very good bowler and Babar is a very good bowler. The rift, whoever created it, the side effects are already visible,” he added.

Captain Saga Babar and Shaheen

Pakistan’s leadership has undergone repeated changes since the 2023 ODI World Cup.Babar stepped down as captain after Pakistan’s disappointing campaign in India, with Shaheen subsequently handing over the ODI captaincy. However, after Pakistan’s poor results in New Zealand, Babar returned to captaincy.His second stint didn’t last long either. Babar was removed again after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup.The constant reshuffle has now left Pakistan with single captains across formats. Babar leads the Test side, Shaheen is the ODI captain while Salman Ali Agha is in charge of the T20I team.Basit believes the damage caused by the earlier captaincy row cannot be ignored when assessing Pakistan’s current struggles.

Big changes after the English disaster

The PCB has now started making changes after the disastrous England tour.On Monday, the board decided to send home seven players, which include Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha. Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have also been removed from the set-up.White-ball coach Mike Hesson will take charge of Pakistan for the third and final Test against England in Birmingham.While Babar remains Pakistan’s Test captain, Shaheen has not been part of the red-ball squad and is currently out of favor in Test cricket.Babar took over as Test captain from Shan Masood earlier this year. Under his leadership, Pakistan drew a two-match Test series against the West Indies.However, his own batting form in the longest format remains an issue. Babar has gone four years without scoring a Test century, increasing the pressure on his leadership as Pakistan prepare for the final Test at Edgbaston.

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