Shahid Afridi dissapointed with the efforts of Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi in his recent column remained critical of the approach of the two senior batsmen in the team by the names of Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik who still haven’t contributed with the bat. Afridi also advised the board to take care of young Fakhar Zaman who scored his maiden half-century in yesterday’s thriller.

After the pace trio of Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan made life difficult for the Sri Lankan batsmen, Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali gave Pakistan an ideal start. But Pakistan appeared frail in their reply after the wicket of the openers. Both Hafeez and Malik failed to contribute as they scored 1 and 11 respectively. If it hadn’t been for Sarfraz’s brilliant knock, Pakistan would have ended up on the losing side from a position of dominance.

To which Shahid Afridi pointed out that the senior statesmen for Pakistan should stand and take additional pressure especially at the big stage and take some pressure off their young batsmen. Afridi also hoped that the duo would deliver the goods in their upcoming match against England.

“The fact is that the senior batsmen disappointed again at the big stage. Players like Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have an abundance of experience and both have represented Pakistan for a very long time.” wrote Afridi in his column for cricket.com.au.

“I really hope that Malik and Hafeez come good in the semi-final since the team would be pinning its hopes on them, especially against a top-class England unit, which unlike Sri Lanka, isn’t expected to give Pakistan chances of coming back in the game.” hoped the 37-year old.

Fakhar: one for the future for Pak

He signed off by heaping praises about the young sensation of Pakistan cricket who has been exceptional in the two matches he has played against quality opposition. However, Afridi stressed on the fact that the youngster should be taken care of, as he can turn out to be an asset in the future.

“Fakhar has been a revelation and once again played with an uncluttered mind. I feel that he has to work hard against the short ball since teams with a strong pace battery are likely to exploit his weakness against the rising ball.Fakhar must be handled carefully by the management as he can be an asset in the future and must be persisted with even if he fails for a few matches.” concluded Afridi.