Inside the Pakistani camp What is Naqvi’s problem
However, against Namibia in a must-win game for Pakistan, Shadab redeemed himself. The all-rounder scored an unbeaten 36 off 22 balls and took three crucial wickets.“I feel like I’ve bowled one bad one since I came back and that’s why there’s so much criticism. I’m not trying to justify it. I can’t control those things. It was a bad day and a bad finish. It’s T20 cricket; you can go for runs and take wickets too. I don’t think too much about the criticism,” he said.Yousuf, who served as the men’s batting coach for three months from March to June 2025 before stepping down from the role, was scathing in his remarks.“Until we remove political influence and personal agendas from Pakistan cricket, we cannot return to the team we once were. This is the darkest period in our cricket history and my heart is bleeding because of it. Incompetent individuals must be removed from the post and from the team,” Yousuf wrote on the X social media platform on Monday.Yousuf was not alone. Pakistan cricket legend Shahid Afridi has called for senior players like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam and Shadab Khan to be dropped from Pakistan’s last group game against Namibia.“If it was up to me to decide, I would have kept Shaheen, Babar and Shadab. I would have fielded them all,” Shahid Afridi said in a panel show for Samaa TV.“They are all senior players who I think have a responsibility to perform. You lose matches. But nobody loses like this. Nobody loses like this one-sidedly. My point is, this is a Pakistan team; you have to fight. We played cricket too; we lost many times, but I don’t remember ever playing or losing in this specific way. We lost, but we fought.,” AfridiTaking a swipe at the legends without naming names, Shadab cited the example of the 2021 T20 World Cup where Babar Azam-led Pakistan beat India by ten wickets in Dubai. It is the only time Pakistan has beaten India in a World Cup.“Our ex-cricketers have their own opinions. They did well for Pakistan and after all they never beat India in the World Cup. We were the ones who beat India in the 2021 World Cup. We beat India only once in the World Cup. Yes, they are legends but they never did anything remarkable against India in the World Cup,” he said.Shadab also credited Indian batsman Ishan Kishan, who scored a breathtaking 77 off 40 balls in Colombo on Sunday.“In a high-pressure match, it’s all about how you start. India started well. They have Ishan Kishan, who was in good form and played an excellent innings,” he said.“We are talking too much about one match. Yes, the clear target was to win that match against India as well. At the end of the day, our main target is to win the World Cup. We believe in our progress and we will see results,” he added.Pakistan will begin their Super Eight campaign against New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 21. The Salman Ali Agha-led team will then play their remaining two matches against England on February 24 and Sri Lanka on February 28 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.