Why did Pakistan exclude Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi from Bangladesh T20I squad, the reason is...
The Pakistan Cricket Board picked a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh. Salman Ali Agha is set lead Pakistan in the three-match series against Bangladesh, which is scheduled to commence from July 20.
While many common names are on the squad for Pakistan's side, it came as a shock to fans that Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi were not part of the squad. As the Men in Green gets ready to face Bangladesh, here is a look at why the two stars were left out for the T20I series.
Babar Azam's steep fall in T20Is
Babar Azam who is known for his outstanding stroke play, hasn't been in a good form recently. However, he once had decent numbers overall but his recent performance has seen a dip. Since the T20I World Cup last year, Babar has managed to score only 200 runs at a poor average of 25. But more importantly his strike rate with respect to scoring runs for Pakistan, has been a problem for them, as he has not been anything near standard in his role. In the same time period, Babar's strike rate reads 112.99, indicative of how tough of a task it has been to score runs too quickly.
The Pakistan Super League gave him a golden opportunity to prove his worth and convince the selectors for T20I comeback, but his performance was not very impressive as he scored 288 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 128.57.
Shaheen Afridi's decline in form
On the other hand, Shaheen Afridi performed much better in Pakistan Super League as he grabbed 19 wickets in twelve matches at an excellent strike rate of 12. Although Shaheen was superb throughout the tournament, he was dropped from the T20I squad, owing to his recent form in the format.
Shaheen Afridi had a very disappointing tour of New Zealand, managing just two wickets in four matches. He also struggled with his economy rate, giving away 10.23 runs an over. As a result, Pakistan dropped him for their next T20I series.
Mike Hesson, Pakistan's newly appointed head coach, mentioned that both these players' T20I selection is dependent solely on whether they can put consistent domestic performances together.
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