"Ever since Mohammad Amir came in, Shaheen has been treated as a secondary bowler"- Danish Kaneria slams Pakistan for mishandling star pacer
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria slammed the side for their mishandling of Shaheen Afridi since the return of fellow left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir after the early exit in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Amid high expectations, Pakistan flattered to deceive and were ousted from the tournament after the group stage, failing to qualify for the Super Eight.
Afridi has been a key figure in Pakistan's bowling lineup over the past three years, while Amir returned to the side after making a U-turn on his retirement before the T20 World Cup.
Kaneria slammed Pakistan for going with Amir ahead of Afridi in the Super Over in their opening game defeat against USA.
He told SportsNow:
"Ever since Mohammad Amir came in, Shaheen has been treated as a secondary bowler. Shaheen is one such guy who has been a main bowler for you over the last 3 years. He has taken wickets and won matches for you singlehandedly. Yet in the Super Over vs USA, they do not count on Shaheen Afridi."
Kaneria also questioned Pakistan sending Fakhar Zaman and Iftikhar Ahmed ahead of more established stars, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the Super Over.
"In batting also, you are sending Fakhar and Iftikhar. Why did they not send Babar and Rizwan in the Super over? Are they so scared?" stated Kaneria.
Both moves backfired as Amir conceded 18 runs and the Pakistan batters scored 13/1 to lose by five runs in the Super Over.
The Men in Green struggled with the bat throughout the tournament, evidenced by none of the top seven batters even boasting a strike rate of 130.
"What is Azam Khan's role in the team?" - Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria further criticized the management for the selection of wicket-keeper batter Azam Khan in the T20 World Cup squad with Mohammad Rizwan and Usman Khan already there as keeping options.
The 25-year-old played only Pakistan's tournament opener against USA and scored a golden duck. Azam has struggled in his T20I career, averaging a dismal 8.80 in 13 innings.
"What is Azam Khan's role in the team? On what basis was he picked in the T20 World Cup squad. You are carrying three wicket-keepers with Azam, Rizwan and Usman Khan. What is the need? Literally, the stakeholders of Pakistan cricket are responsible for such activities. Everybody is making fun of Pakistan cricket," said Kaneria via the aforementioned source.
Kaneria also questioned the inclusion of leg-spinning all-rounder Shadab Khan by saying:
"What is Shadab's role in the team? Is he playing as a bowling all-rounder Or just as a pure batter? Clearly, he is not able to bowl. You are just playing Shadab as he is your best friend."
Shadab endured a horrific T20 World Cup campaign, going wicketless in only four overs of bowling in four games.
His batting wasn't much better with an average of under 15 and a strike rate of 129.41.