Pakistan lost the first Twenty20 International against Afghanistan on Friday, and Shadab Khan, captaining the squad in Babar Azam’s absence, has come under fire from previous players for the team’s performance.
Former Pakistani players have been harsh in their criticism of current captain Shadab Khan after their team lost the first Twenty20 International against Afghanistan on Friday. Pakistan rested five key players for the series, including captain Babar, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf, therefore they gave T20I debuts to hitters Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir, and fast bowlers Ihsanullah and Zaman Khan. After being put in, Pakistan managed only to score 92 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
In response, Afghanistan won by six wickets thanks to an unbroken performance from Mohammad Nabi, who scored 38 runs off of 11 deliveries on a spin-friendly pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Salman Butt, a former captain of the Pakistani national team, was critical of Shadab for making poor fielding decisions and failing to read the pitch.
“The surface was ideal for slow bowling. Shadab, despite his extensive cricket experience, bowls quickly both with his fast bowlers and on his own. As Najib Zadran stepped up to bat, he didn’t have to worry about a slip. Batsmen for Afghanistan were having trouble against Ihsanullah, but Shadab had managed to keep the fielders near the boundary. Why did you decide to bat at this particular pitch, and how do you interpret it? That shows how clueless you really are. Even though you weren’t competing in Perth, you still decided to field four fast bowlers “According to Butt’s online video blog.
After the loss, Shadab said that his new players were scared.
“We did well tactically. Yet, anxiety among children is sometimes a contributing factor. They will improve if given the chance “His words.
It was Afghanistan’s first-ever win against Pakistan in a cricket match.
The next two games in the series, on Sunday and Monday, will also take place in Sharjah, making this the first bilateral series ever played between the two countries.
