‘Beat him in pool, but motivated him so he looks confident in press conference’ – Shahid Afridi reveals hilarious meeting with Babar Azam

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi disclosed his meeting with captain Babar Azam at his house gathering in Karachi on Wednesday, July 5. Notably, Afridi invited numerous cricketers including the likes of Imam ul Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed among others.

During the gathering, Afridi shared a light hearted moment with Pakistan skipper Babar as the duo engaged in a round of pool. Afridi later revealed that he won the pool match but lifted Babar's spirits for the press conference ahead of Sri Lanka tour.

"I beat him [Babar Azam] in the pool match but I didn’t let him get demotivated. I motivated him, so that is why he looked confident in the press conference today,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

Notably, Babar-led Pakistan have begun preparations in full swing for the two-match Test series against the Lankan Lions, slated to begin from July 16 in Galle. The series will mark the start for both the teams in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.

The former cricketer also held talks with Imam and Sarfaraz and highlighted the workload management for the players. Afridi expressed his concern regarding Pakistan’s hectic schedule for the next eight months, which includes the Asia Cup 2023, the ODI World Cup in India and the bilateral series with various national teams. Afridi stressed on the need for a proper strategy to manage the workload to ensure that the players do not burn out. 

"I had a chat with Imam ul Haq and Sarfaraz [Ahmed] that they have to play cricket without any gaps for next eight months, so there is no doubt that there should be a backup plan in place for them and players will need adequate rest as well during that time. It is the responsibility of selection committee and the coaching staff regarding how they go about these next eight months of cricket,” he concluded.