Former pacer of Pakistan, Mohammad Amir, criticized the team management’s decision to pick Shaheen Shah Afridi over Salman Mirza for the India clash. He said Shaheen is currently out of form, so the management should have given him rest and picked Salman Mirza for the blockbuster India vs Pakistan encounter.
“I’ve been saying for a while, Salman Mirza, your in-form bowler, has been performing since the first match. In every series, whenever he got a chance, he delivered. Shaheen is not performing in this World Cup, he hasn’t been giving impactful performances for a long time,” said Mohammad Amir while talking to the media.
He further added that Shaheen is a quality left-arm bowler, but the real value of a player is only determined when he performs on the big stage.
“No disrespect, he’s a very good bowler with potential, but at the end of the day, performance matters. Take out all of Shaheen’s ICC events except the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he had an impact — besides that, show me a single ICC event where Shaheen performed impactfully, and I will admit it,” said Mohammad Amir.
He then spoke about Faheem Ashraf, saying that the team is underutilizing his talent by not giving him enough opportunities on the field.
“You made Faheem a fielding all-rounder. You neither give him bowling nor proper batting opportunities, so why is he playing? If he’s not bowling, then you might as well play Fakhar,” added Mohammad Amir.
The former pacer then took aim at the team head coach, saying that he should be held accountable for making wrong decisions.
“When you know your batting is weak, why not strengthen it by giving extra chances to your batsmen? Wrong decisions from the start create huge debates. You can blame the system, Aqib Javed, or the selectors, that’s fine. But the coach, who leads the team and plans strategy, should also be held accountable,” concluded Mohammad Amir
