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Pakistan captain Babar Azam and bowling spearhead Shaheen Afridi were reportedly involved in a heated exchange in the dressing room after Pakistan's loss against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023.
Everything looked rosy for Pakistan until the group stage of Asia Cup 2023, as their team looked settled in all departments. The pace bowling trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah were in red-hot form.
Things went south after their 228-run loss in a Super 4 match against India. Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Agha Salman got injured during the match, which amplified their issues.
Pakistan were then eliminated from the final race after losing against Sri Lanka on Thursday (September 14). In a must-win game, their top-order failed miserably and were also sloppy on the field and ineffective with the ball in middle overs.
According to BolNews, a frustrated Babar Azam expressed his displeasure over senior players for not performing to expectations in crunch games.
Shaheen Afridi interrupted and urged him to acknowledge the players who performed well. Babar was not pleased with the interruption and went on to claim that he was well aware of who gave their best and who didn't, which gave rise to a heated verbal exchange between the duo.
Fans took note of the reports and conveyed their reactions by sharing memes on X (formerly Twitter). Here are some of the best memes:
"Babar should be fully supported for the World Cup"- Mohammad Hafeez extends support to Pakistan captain
Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez extended support to Babar Azam after his side crashed out of the Asia Cup after twin losses against India and Sri Lanka.
He opined that it is unfair to blame only the captain for the defeats and felt that Babar should be backed ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
"If you don't give credit only to the captain for reaching the final, then don't blame the defeat only on the captain. Throwing blame on a single player will not solve the problem. Babar should be fully supported for the World Cup and think about changing the captain after the World Cup."
Explaining his point of view, Hafeez continued:
"We failed in the Asia Cup and we have to accept that. Only when we accept failure will we move towards improvement. There must have been mistakes in our planning as these players have been in the national side for the last two to three years. It will be a challenge for this team to play in India. The boys will have to play with courage but we should expect good results from this team."
Do you agree with Hafeez's views? Let us know in the comments section.
