They conceded 214 runs in 30 overs against New Zealand and 163 runs in 23 overs against India.
Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez wants the team to move on from the fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf after their poor performances in the Champions Trophy 2025.
The trio has been the first-choice pacers in white-ball cricket for a long time. However, they have repeatedly failed to perform when needed.
Their performances in the two matches of the ongoing ICC event have been disappointing. They conceded 214 runs in 30 overs against New Zealand and 163 runs in 23 overs against India. Overall, the trio has managed to take only six wickets in both matches combined.
Speaking on PTV’s Champions Trophy coverage, Hafeez expressed his frustration over the poor performances of Pakistan’s pace trio. He highlighted that when Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf became the team’s lead pacers, expectations were high. However, they have consistently failed in major tournaments, including the 2023 Asia Cup, the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne, and now the ICC Champions Trophy.
“2023 mein Asia Cup shuru hua, hamari expectation thi ki ye trio—Shaheen, Naseem aur Haris—ye ready hai ki hume bade events jitwa ke de, failure. 2023 50-over World Cup, failure. 2022 T20 tournament in Melbourne, failure. Ye wala ICC Champions Trophy, failure,” said Hafeez.
Hafeez questioned if the pace attack holds enough potential to win major tournaments for Pakistan while everybody else seems to believe otherwise. He believed that it is time for Pakistan to turn away from the trio and look elsewhere. He named Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Akif Javed, and Mir Hamza as potential replacements. According to him, these players deserve a chance and could bring fresh energy to the team.
“It is time to realise that these guys, according to many people they have skills, lekin vo skills bada tournament jitwane k kabil nahi hume najar aa rahe hai, vo sabit nahi kar rahe hai. Let’s move on from them. Let’s bring other people. Let’s go with Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Akif Javed, Mir Hamza. These guys are waiting for their chances. Inko khila k dekh lete hai. They are also Pakistani; they also have a Pakistani passport.”
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Hafeez mocked Pakistan’s selection process, claiming that they make poor decisions by depending too heavily on statistics and artificial intelligence (AI). He jokingly suggested that the selectors should search for their names before using AI to select players, as they may not be qualified enough for their job.
“This selection is done with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). They say that they have a statistician; they know how to make teams. We know everything. They pick the players with AI. First, go and search your name on AI,” he added.
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