NEW DELHI: Former captain
Shahid Afridi
has suggested a couple of changes to the Pakistan playing eleven following their dramatic loss to India in the
T20 World Cup
. Afridi proposed that skipper
Babar Azam
should drop down to No. 3 in the batting order to accommodate
Fakhar Zaman
at the top.
With Pakistan suffering defeats to both USA and India, they are facing a crucial must-win game against Canada in New York on Tuesday.
Afridi's suggestions aim to bolster Pakistan's lineup and turn their fortunes around in the tournament.
"I think now is the time for
Gary Kirsten
and Babar Azam to make some changes. I would like to see
Salman Ali Agha
come into the side in place of Usman Khan and
Abrar Ahmed
to come in for Shadab Khan," Afridi told ICC.
"Most of all, I believe Fakhar Zaman should be promoted to open the innings alongside Mohammad Rizwan, with Babar dropping down to number three.
"There are some tough conversations and choices to come but we need to remember that there is still hope: Pakistan are not out of the tournament yet."
Pakistan self-destructed in their chase of 120 against India on Sunday, suffering back-to-back defeats despite their bowlers setting the game up nicely by dismissing Rohit Sharma and Co. for a below-par 119.
"The key difference between the two teams was India's consistency, self-belief, discipline and attitude on the field. The Pakistan batting line-up simply isn't clicking and what we saw was a weak display of power hitting.
"For several reasons, this game wasn't about playing aggressively. But strategy and smart cricket were required to get the run chase over the line, and those qualities are exactly what Pakistan lacked.
"India have now won seven of their eight matches against Pakistan at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup and Pakistan fans are highly disappointed," said Afridi referring to India's dominant record against the arch-rivals in world events.
According to Afridi, Pakistan simply couldn't handle the pressure of a game as significant as the one on Sunday.
"On the big days, you have to have nerves of steel until you make it through.
"India stayed positive and calm until the last ball and the pressure of the run chase was not handled well by Babar Azam's side," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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