Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has slammed the selectors of the national team after the ODI series defeat against Bangladesh on Sunday. Pakistan lost to Bangladesh 1-2 in the three-match series following a poor show in the T20 World Cup and Afridi has called for real surgery on the selection committee. For the unversed, Pakistan were bundled out for 114 runs in the first ODI and while they made a comeback in the next game, the visitors lost the third and final match, failing to chase down the target of 291 runs.
Afridi shared a video on social media and didn’t hold back while questioning the selectors’ judgment and leadership decisions. “You saw the performances in the 2026 T20 World Cup, and after that, we also lost the Bangladesh series 2โ1. In my opinion, the selection committee deserves criticism. All of you in the committee have played so much cricket, yet you still donโt seem to have the idea of who should be the captain for which format,” he said.
Selectors keep making too many decisions on the name of surgery, says Afridi
Shahid Afridi also pointed out the fact that the youngsters picked for the Bangladesh series had not played many first-class matches. He also highlighted the poor standards of domestic cricket in Pakistan while criticising the selectors who keep changing the team often on the name of ‘surgery’.
“You keep making too many decisions in the name of โsurgeryโ. What you are doing is picking youngsters and players who have barely played a few first-class matches. Your domestic cricket is not even of that standard that it can consistently produce players ready to secure a place in the Pakistan team,” Afridi added.
The former Pakistan skipper questioned the treatment of senior players, indirectly asking the reason for removing players like Babar Azam and Saim Ayub who are actually proven performers in ODIs. According to him, the current selection committee lacks a clear strategy and that is the reason why the team is not stable at the moment.
“The senior players who actually deserved their place even if they didnโt have strong T20 performances, had very good records in ODIs. But in the name of โsurgeryโ, you sidelined those experienced players despite their solid ODI performances.ย Instead, you brought in youngsters who have only played a few domestic and first class matches.
“The standard of domestic cricket is not high enough, and those players are not ready to come straight into the Pakistan team and cement their place. You keep handing out Pakistan caps again and again, this is not surgery. If anything, the real surgery should be done on the selection committee,” Afridi concluded.
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