“Babar and Rizwan can take retirement” - Twitterati react after Shahid Afridi demands strike rate of 130-135 for selection in Pakistan’s T20 squad

Pakistan’s interim chief selector Shahid Afridi has reportedly said that players who do not have a strike rate in the range of 130-135 in domestic T20 competitions will not be considered for selection in the national T20 squad. Many users on Twitter quoted the former Pakistan captain as saying so to Geo News.

Afridi was named the interim chief selector recently after a recent shift of power in the Pakistan Cricket Board. Former captain Ramiz Raja was sacked as the PCB chief last month and replaced by Najam Sethi.

According to reports, Sethi and Afridi met current Pakistan captain Babar Azam in a closed-door interaction to discuss plans to revamp Pakistan cricket and improve the team’s overall performance.

On Monday, January 2, a statement by Afridi, setting a benchmark strike rate for selection in Pakistan’s T20 squad went viral. The former all-rounder was known for his exceptional strike rate during his playing days. It wasn’t clear whether the interim selector’s diktat was for uncapped Pakistan players featuring in domestic T20 competitions or for all players, including international stars.

Assuming the latter, Twitterati trolled captain Babar Azam and senior keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. While the duo are Pakistan’s top two run getters in T20Is, their strike rate has often been a bone of contention.

Here are some amusing reactions post Afridi’s ‘striking’ statement:

While Babar Azam has a T20 strike rate of 127.55, Rizwan’s strike rate in the format is 125.49.

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“Babar Azam hamari team ka backbone hai” - Shahid Afridi

On Saturday, PCB interim chief selector Afridi threw his weight behind Pakistan captain Babar Azam while adding that he wants to improve the team’s bench strength. The former player told reporters:

“Babar Azam hamari team ka backbone hai (Babar Azam is the backbone of our team). He is one of our top performers. I liked it when he challenged the New Zealand team for the chase. And as a selection committee, we want to be a shoulder for him and support him."

He added:

“Also, I liked what he said in the post-match presser after the draw. He said the team is focusing on cricket and is unaware of what is being said outside. So, Babar should focus on the game only. The selection committee will always support him to come up with better combinations so that he feels confident on the field,” he added.

On his plans for the team during his tenure as interim selector, the former player said:

“I want to create two teams for Pakistan before my tenure ends in order to improve bench strength.”

Pakistan are currently taking on New Zealand in a two-match Test series at home. While the first Test ended in a draw, the second began in Karachi today (January 2).