Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi likely to be dropped for Namibia clash in T20 World Cup 2026
Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi are likely to be dropped from Pakistan’s playing XI for the Namibia clash, hinting at a major selection shake-up in T20 World Cup 2026.
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Pakistan cricket team have taken the loss against India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 the hard way. The selection has decided to drop senior players, Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, from the team for the upcoming game against Namibia on Wednesday. While the players have underperformed in the World Cup campaign, dropping them from the playing XI comes after their defeat against India.
Babar scored just five runs in the previous game before getting out to Axar Patel, while Shaheen was hit for 31 runs in two overs. He didn't get a wicket and was too expensive. This has been the case in the rest of the games as well. Pakistan managed to win the matches, but if they lose their next match, their qualification will be in jeopardy.
Pakistan have some talented players warming the bench in the campaign, and they might come in and save the team from an embarrassing World Cup exit. Naseem Shah is most likely to be a replacement for Shaheen Afridi, while Fakhar Zaman can come in for Babar. Both are extremely great players and will get a chance to showcase their skills in the marquee event.
Mike Hesson opened up on Pakistan's poor pressure management skills that led to defeat against India
Pakistan's head coach, Mike Hesson, looked quite frustrated with the team's performance against India in the World Cup 2026. They pulled off two strong victories against the USA and the Netherlands and were expecting to win this match as well. As per Hesson, Pakistan's poor pressure management skills were the reason behind their defeat against India.
“Look it’s very much when a guy’s putting you under pressure — are you going to stick to your basics or are you going to go away from that? And I think that’s going to be a real challenge because as the tournament progresses, we’ll be put under pressure again," he said in the post-match press conference.
“And it’s how we respond when we’re under the pump. All these guys are international players, they’re all good players, but when the pressure comes on, are they going to trust the decision-making or are they going to probably go outside that? That’s something we’re going to have to get better at," he added.
Pakistan will play their next match against Namibia on February 18, which will be a do-or-die match for them. If they lose the match, their possibility of qualifying for the Super 8 will reduce. Meanwhile, India have qualified for the knockout stage.
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