"He looked confident in the press conference" - Shahid Afridi shares details of his conversation with Babar Azam

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi recently invited Babar Azam and Co. to his residence in Karachi ahead of the Men in Green's tour of Sri Lanka.

Afridi and Babar were also spotted playing pool together. When asked about the match, Afridi quipped that he beat the Pakistani skipper but ensured that Babar wasn't demotivated after the loss.

Afridi told a Pakistani news channel:

"I beat him [Babar Azam] in the pool match but I didn’t let him get demotivated. I motivated him, so that is why he looked confident in the press conference today."

A Twitter user uploaded a short clip from Afridi and Babar's pool match. While sharing the video, the user wrote:

"Babar Azam at Shahid Afridi’s house. Also that hand shake."

Maham Gillani

@DheetAfridian

Babar Azam at Shahid Afridi’s house. Also that hand shake 🫡
#BabarAzam #ShahidAfridi
@SAfridiOfficial

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Babar Azam at Shahid Afridi’s house. Also that hand shake 🫡❤️
#BabarAzam #ShahidAfridi
@SAfridiOfficial https://t.co/7qffalZcdn

Babar will next be seen in action later this month when Pakistan tour Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series. The first Test is scheduled to start at the Galle International Stadium on July 16.

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"There should be a backup plan in place for them" - Shahid Afridi on workload management of senior players

Shahid Afridi further stated that he also had a chat with senior Pakistani players Imam-ul-Haq and Sarfraz Ahmed regarding their upcoming assignments.

He pointed out that since Pakistan are expected to play a lot of cricket in the upcoming months, the team management must focus on managing the workload of the cricketers.

"I had a chat with Imam-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz [Ahmed] that they have to play cricket without any gaps for the next eight months, so there is no doubt that there should be a backup plan in place for them and players will need adequate rest as well during that time," Afridi said.

"It is the responsibility of the selection committee and the coaching staff regarding how they go about these next eight months of cricket," he added.

It is worth mentioning that ahead of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan will also play a two-day practice game, starting on Tuesday, July 11.

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