Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has strongly criticized the national selection committee after Pakistan lost a series to Bangladesh. Afridi said the team’s continued defeats are the result of flawed decisions and confusion within the selection setup.
Reacting to Pakistan’s series defeat against Bangladesh, Shahid Afridi demanded what he described as “surgery” within the selection committee.
According to Afridi, the committee itself needs restructuring because it appears unclear about basic team management decisions.
“The selection committee does not even know who should be the captain of which format,” Afridi said while criticizing the current selection process.
Confusion over captains, team direction
Afridi said the selectors seem uncertain about leadership roles across different formats of the game.
He questioned how the committee could guide the national team effectively when it cannot decide which player should lead the team in Tests, ODIs, or T20 formats.
The former all-rounder said such confusion has directly affected Pakistan’s performance on the field.
‘Seniors dropped, inexperienced players picked’
Afridi also criticized the removal of senior players in the name of “surgery” within the team.
He said experienced cricketers who had delivered good performances in ODI cricket were sidelined, while relatively inexperienced players were included in the squad.
“In the name of surgery, seniors were made to sit out and new kids were given seats,” Afridi said.
The former captain argued that several players selected for the national side lack sufficient experience.
According to him, some players have played only a few domestic matches, which does not prepare them adequately for international cricket.
He added that handing national team opportunities to such players is equivalent to “distributing Pakistan team caps.”
Afridi further pointed to issues within Pakistan’s domestic cricket structure. He said the standard of domestic cricket is not high enough to consistently produce players who are ready to perform at the international level.
Because of this, he believes inexperienced players are being pushed into the national side too early.
Pakistan’s recent performances
Afridi said Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the World Cup was already evident, and the defeat in the series against Bangladesh has added to the concerns.
“The World Cup performance was in front of everyone, and now they have lost the series to Bangladesh too,” he said.
He attributed the team’s continuous defeats largely to decisions made by the selection committee.
While the selectors have described their approach as a “surgery” to rebuild the team, Afridi rejected that explanation. “This is not surgery,” he said, adding that the real issue lies within the selection committee itself.
According to Afridi, the committee needs reform before it can rebuild the national side effectively.
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