Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi On Brink Of Exclusion As Pakistan Restructures For Namibia After Poor Show Against India

T20 World Cup: Pakistan is reportedly set to bench senior players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi for their upcoming T20 World Cup match against Namibia, following a dismal performance against arch-rival India in Colombo.

According to news agency PTI, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi voiced his dissatisfaction over the team's performance in the 61-run defeat to India to team manager Naved Akram Cheema.

"The Chairman left the match early at the Premadasa stadium as it became obvious Pakistan were going to face another defeat to India," the source told PTI.

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As per the report, Naqvi, through a senior PCB official, spoke to the team manager that the PCB couldn't understand or accept such lacklustre performances in high-stakes matches.

Head coach Mike Hesson addressed the players in the dressing room, expressing disappointment as the players failed to live up to the expectations.

"Late night the management think tank decided enough was enough and it was to bench Babar and Shaheen and try out Salman Mirza/Naseem Shah and Fakhar Zaman against Namibia on Wednesday," the source added.

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Azam and Shah Afridi's World Cup campaign could be curtailed, with the management reportedly keen to promote young Khawaja Nafay to the middle order.

Pakistan's hopes of qualifying for the Super Eight phase of the T20 World Cup depend on their upcoming match against Namibia, as they cannot afford any further slip-ups. The team's recent heavy loss to India has put them under pressure, despite victories against lower-ranked USA and the Netherlands.