'Insaan ke bacche ban jaaye toh behetar hai': Afridi's hard-hitting remark on national TV over Pakistan selection debate

Shahid Afridi didn't mince his words as he talked about “politics” in discussions over team selections in Pakistan cricket.

Pakistan suffered a devastating 246-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the second and final Test of the series, as the hosts drew 1-1 in Galle. The Babar Azam-led side secured a record run-chase at the venue in the first Test when they chased down a 342-run target, but it was given a mammoth score of 508 to reach in the second match. The side was eventually bowled out on 261, with Babar being the only batter to cross the fifty-run mark (81).

File image of Shahid Afridi. (Getty Images)

The Pakistan batting lineup – especially the middle order – has faced significant criticism since its poor outing in the second game. Fawad Alam had replaced the underperforming Azhar Ali in the match, but he conceded a cheap run-out dismissal on 1. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan continues to undergo a string of low scores as well, as he was removed on 37. Agha Salman failed to repeat his performance from the first Test as he departed on 4.

However, Rizwan's disappointing performances have attracted significant criticism from fans and former cricketers alike. Since his century in the second Test against Australia, Rizwan has scores of 1, 0, 19, 40, 24, and 37 in three Tests. Incidentally, Pakistan's former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed had also been a part of the squad for the two-Test series; however, his last appearance for the side in the longest format came over three years ago against South Africa.

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi believes that a certain pressure is need to be kept on Rizwan following his low scores. “You have to keep pressure. The more stronger the bench is, the more careful the player will be about his performance. Rizwan hasn't been performing, and I believe that on tours like this, Sarfaraz coud have been given an opportunity,” Afridi said on Samaa TV.

When the anchor of the TV debate talks about how people bring in arguments over city biases (Sarfaraz hails from Karachi, Pakistan) as a reason for a player to be considered for selection, Afridi insisted that politics has come into “everything” in Pakistan.

“The biggest problem is that politics has come into everything here,” Afridi said, before explaining how in Pakistan, people bring in politics even during crisis like floods.

“The biases about cities is going for a long time now. Someone will say, 'this guy is from Karachi, or this guy is from Lahore' (while talking about selection in the team). I don't think these things should happen. Insaan ke bacche ban jaaye toh behetar hai (behave like a human being),” Afridi further said.