T20 World Cup 2022: "You are going to break his legs" - Danish Kaneria slams Pakistani team management for mishandling Shaheen Afridi
Danish Kaneria has questioned Pakistan's think tank for making Shaheen Afridi play the T20 World Cup 2022 match against Zimbabwe on Thursday, October 27.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he claimed that Shaheeh is yet to completely recover from his knee injury and shouldn't be playing every single game if he wants to prolong his career.
The former leg spinner emphasized that Pakistan didn't rest the left-arm pacer even against a team like Zimbabwe as they were unsure of their side's chances. Kaneria also mentioned how the youngster has been asked to field in the deep, despite the injury.
He explained:
"Shaheen Afridi is still unfit, yet they are making him play. You are going to break his legs. Pakistan tend to panic even while facing a team like Zimbabwe. You need to play him selectively. Also, instead of making him field at long on and long off, keep him at short fine leg.
"Shaneen gave away 14 runs in his first over. The team management made him play this game as they were scared. Pakistan knew that they are going to struggle if Shaheen wasn't there. They lacked confidence. But Zimbabwe were unperturbed by Shaheen's presence."
Shaheen, who made his return to competitive cricket with the T20 World Cup 2022, has struggled for form so far. He went wicketless in both games so far in the showpiece T20 event.
The Babar Azam-led side suffered a heartbreaking one-run loss to Zimbabwe in their second match in the mega competition. The Men in Green failed to chase down a modest target of 130, losing the last-ball thriller by one run.
"They completely shattered his confidence" - Danish Kaneria on Mohammad Nawaz not bowling a single over against Zimbabwe
Kaneria went on to say that Babar erred tactically by not bowling Mohammad Nawaz in their game against Zimbabwe. He stated that this would have affected the left-arm spinner's confidence considerably.
He emphasized how Nawaz has showcased impressive form with both bat and ball in recent outings. Kaneria, however, opined that the team management has not handled him well, despite those performances.
The former cricketer added:
"Mohammad Nawaz didn't bowl at all. What was Babar Azam even thinking? He's been bowling well since the Asia Cup, you've been asking him to bowl the final overs, and you didn't give him a single over today. Who is giving Babar these instructions from outside? They completely shattered his confidence."
Zimbabwe win by one run in Perth.
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Having lost their first two matches at the T20 World Cup 2022, Pakistan's fate now rely on other teams. Winning all of their remaining fixtures also won't guarantee them a place in the semi-finals.