Shahid AfridiFormer Pakistan captain slams Shadab Khan The all-rounder’s post-match comments reminded him of the challenges of success. Afridi said that while it would be difficult for former Pakistan players to beat India in the World Cup, Shadab’s team did it in 2021.After Pakistan’s 102-run victory over Namibia in the Group A match of the 2026 T20 World Cup in Colombo, 27-year-old Shadab was asked about the criticism from former stars like Afridi and Mohammad Yousuf. He reminded the media that he was part of the team that defeated India in the 2021 Dubai World Cup.
Afridi and Yousuf had suggested giving up following Pakistan’s loss to India in the tournament earlier on February 15 Babar AzamShaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab are in favor of giving opportunities to young people. But Pakistan, led by Salman Ali Agha, bounced back against Namibia to clinch a spot in the Super Eights.Shadab played an unbeaten 35 against Namibia and picked up three wickets, showing an almost perfect all-round performance. However, his comments in the post-match press conference prompted criticism from former players.Afridi responded: “Shadab was absolutely right when he said we didn’t beat India in the World Cup but his team did. They got respect after that but they couldn’t handle it. By respect, I mean after they beat India they couldn’t handle the issues between them. Shadab should also know that when he couldn’t play for the team, we stood up for him on national television and said he was the backbone of the team.”““I know Shadab and he is a very nice guy and he always speaks to us with respect. When people talk about us when we play, we always back up our words with our actions on the field. Instead of playing against smaller teams, we used to play against bigger teams,” Afridi added.The former captain urged Shadab to answer his critics with his performance in the upcoming Super Eights matches against New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka. “So Shadab beta, aap bhi perform kariye. Beta perform karo. We support you in your difficult times; you are not playing domestic cricket but you still make it to the national team. If you want to answer us, do it by performing on the field. Perform and let the World Cup end and we will be quiet after that,” Afridi said.Pakistan will kick off the Super 8 series against New Zealand at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.
