Shaheen Afridi has been struggling lately, and wickets have been hard to come by for the ace Pakistan speedster. The left-arm pacer has been leaking runs in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand. Former Pakistan speedster Sikander Bakht feels Shaheen needs to return to domestic cricket and, hence, should be dropped from the national team.
In the fourth T20I against New Zealand, which Pakistan lost by a mammoth 115 runs, Shaheen Afridi conceded 49 runs in his quota of four overs. In the entire series, the 24-year-old has picked up just two wickets.
Even in the second T20I against New Zealand, Shaheen conceded 24 runs in a single over as Tim Seifert smashed him for four sixes. Sikander Bakht now feels Shaheen should be benched, and new options should be tried.
"My formula is clear. Don't select him until and unless he goes back to play domestic cricket. Don't pick him anywhere. Please give him a rest. Put some pressure on him. People say no one is on the bench, so drop Shaheen," Sikander Bakht told Geo Super.
"Tell Shaheen he is being dropped because of poor form. Let him play domestic. Let him get some incentive to come back into the team," he added.
'Give pressure to Shaheen'
{{/usCountry}}"Tell Shaheen he is being dropped because of poor form. Let him play domestic. Let him get some incentive to come back into the team," he added.
'Give pressure to Shaheen'
{{/usCountry}}Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Rashid Latif also agreed with Sikander Bakht, saying the time has come to try out new options and give Shaheen a rest.
"The pressure regarding the team has been taken away from Shaheen. Naseem Shah is not here. Mohammad Hasnain is not in the team. You have to put pressure on Shaheen. It is the need of the hour," said Latif.
In the fourth T20I, Pakistan were bundled out for 105 in 16.2 overs while chasing 221. With this win, the Kiwis claimed an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
The 115-run defeat is Pakistan's biggest loss (in terms of runs) in T20I history.
Pakistan and New Zealand will now square off in the fifth and final T20I on Wednesday, March 26. Both teams will prepare for the ODI series beginning March 29. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will be back for the three-match ODI series.