Pakistan announced 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, but Shoaib Malik didn’t find a place in the squad. Reflecting on the same, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi said that Malik would have solved the team’s longstanding problem with the middle-order in the World Cup.
Malik was the part of last year’s World Cup squad but has not been in action since then. He is considered to be an important part for the team in middle overs and that’s why his omission was not well-received by many fans.
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Afridi was also unhappy with the selector’s decision as he believes that Malik would have provided a lot of support to Babar Azam-led team.
“He has played cricket across the globe and has done well everywhere. He is a top choice for every franchise. He is also supremely fit. Babar Azam would have gotten a lot of support if Malik had been there, even if he was on the bench," Afridi told Samaa TV.
“The selectors should have communicated with him if he wasn’t a part of their plans," he added.
Afridi also mentioned his opinion on Malik’s controversial tweet after Pakistan’s defeat in the recently-concluded T20 Asia Cup. Malik had posted a cryptic tweet highlighting the problem with Pakistan’s team selection. He tweeted, “When will we come out from friendship, liking and disliking culture. Allah always helps the honest."
On the same, Afridi said that Malik could have avoided speaking publicly about the matter and could have waited for the squad was announcement.
“I think Malik should not have posted such a tweet. He should have waited for the team’s announcement. I think he deserves to be a part of the squad," he said.
Pakistan team will now be seen in action against the England team for seven-match T20I series. For the series, selectors named all the players who will travel for the T20 World Cup except Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi. In their place, they have picked Northern’s all-rounder Aamir Jamal and Sindh’s ace spinner Abrar Ahmed. But, Afridi said that Pakistan could have added Malik to the England contingent as he would have added more experience to the team.
“Pakistan could have added (Shoaib) Malik to the squad for the England series. They could have tried him out for three or four matches to assess his performance. We need a middle-order batter, and Malik has a lot of experience playing in that role," said the former all-rounder.
Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usman Qadir.
Travelling reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris and Shahnawaz Dahani.
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