Asia Cup: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi involved in heated argument after SL defeat in Super Four stage - Reports
Babar Azam-led Pakistan reveal T20 World Cup squad as Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim return; Hasan Ali dropped Photograph:( X )
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According to reports from multiple news agencies, Babar told players they were not playing responsibly in the aftermath of the close defeat. A win for Pakistan could have seen them play in Sunday’s final against arch-rivals India but they famously lost on the final ball against Sri Lanka.
According to reports from multiple news agencies, Babar told players they were not playing responsibly in the aftermath of the close defeat. A win for Pakistan could have seen them play in Sunday’s final against arch-rivals India but they famously lost on the final ball against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan cricket team’s preparations could take a massive stumble with less than a month to go for the ODI World Cup as the dressing room gets divided after a heated exchange between skipper Babar Azam and speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi. The reported exchange took place after the last-ball defeat on Thursday, September 14 against Sri Lanka that paved the way for an exit from the Asia Cup. After the match, both Afridi and Babar were reported to have exchanged words in the dressing room.
What was the incident?
According to reports from multiple news agencies, Babar told players they were not playing responsibly in the aftermath of the close defeat. A win for Pakistan could have seen them play in Sunday’s final against arch-rivals India but they famously lost on the final ball against Sri Lanka. In response to Babar’s statement, Shaheen replied 'at least appreciate who bowled and batted well.'
The interruption did not go well for Babar as he replied 'I know who's performing well'. This saw the players come together in a war of words while there was no physical battle took place. It is also reported that senior wicketkeeper batter Mohammed Rizwan separated the two and ended the mini-spat.
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Pakistan’s horrible Asia Cup exit
The official hosts had a tough outing in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup as they suffered their biggest loss against India in the ODI format. Babar’s men were beaten by a record margin of 228 runs in the Super Four clash with a defeat against Sri Lanka ending their run in the tournament. Earlier their win against Nepal and Bangladesh came as little consolation.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan faced their worst nightmare as pacer Naseem Shah is likely to miss the entire World Cup 2023 in India due to a shoulder injury. Following undergoing scans in Dubai, the results appeared to be worse than expected, as it reflects Naseem could be out of action for an extended period, more likely for the remainder of this year. Naseem's injury came at a time when Pakistan cricket found itself in the right space heading into the marquee event.
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