Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi strongly criticised his son-in-law Shaheen Shah Afridi following Pakistan’s exit from the T20 World Cup, questioning his decisions in crucial moments of the campaign.

 

Speaking on live television, Afridi focused on Shaheen’s bowling choices, particularly in the decisive match against Sri Lanka, which ended Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals. Pakistan entered the game knowing they needed a big-margin win to qualify.

 

Afridi said, “When a right-hander is playing, you don't bowl round the wicket.” He added that if a bowler chooses that angle, he must aim “inside the wickets.” He also criticised the field settings, saying that with “third man and point up,” bowling outside off stump invites risk. “These are very easy angles to get a lob on the Asian pitches,” he said.

 

The former captain also vented frustration over what he described as repeated tactical errors. “When will they understand these things? They don't learn, they don't want to learn, they don't want to run like players,” Afridi said. He pointed to frequent batting collapses and said the team showed a lack of responsibility. According to him, Pakistan’s thinking remains outdated and far behind modern demands.

 

Pakistan posted 213 and needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 to surpass New Zealand on Net Run Rate (NRR). Sri Lanka, however, kept the chase alive and fell short by just five runs, a result that knocked Pakistan out of the tournament.

 

Afridi highlighted the final over as a key moment. Sri Lanka required 28 runs, and Shaheen conceded 22 from the first four balls. He then switched his angle and bowled over the wicket, beating the batter on the final two deliveries, but by then the damage had already been done.

 

Shaheen ended the tournament with a mixed record. He took eight wickets in five matches and became Pakistan’s all-time leading T20I wicket-taker with 136 scalps, surpassing Haris Rauf. Despite the milestone, his economy rate of 10.53 drew criticism. His standout performance came against England in the Super Eight stage, where he returned figures of 4 for 30, dismissing Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell early.

 

Afridi also addressed his earlier remarks about Shadab Khan. He said he had previously considered Shadab a potential future captain, but changed his stance after the Sri Lanka defeat. Afridi stated that if Shadab’s performances do not improve, he would not even retain him in the team.

 

It is worth noting that during the same match, Pakistan needed to defend 27 runs from a target of 147 to achieve the required net run rate. Shadab conceded 15 runs in one over and followed it with 18 in the 19th, leaking 33 runs across his two overs and further hurting Pakistan’s cause.

 

Poor performances at the T20 World Cup have also triggered swift action from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which has fined every national player five million rupees, according to media reports.