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In the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan’s formidable batting lineup faltered during the highly crucial Super 4 clash against Sri Lanka. The match, which held significant importance for both teams to reach the finals, witnessed Pakistan struggling to meet the high expectations placed on them. Their inability to cope with Sri Lanka’s bowling attack resulted in a disappointing performance. The Green team lost the match by two wickets and was eliminated from the ongoing tournament.
Pakistan made a significant reshuffle in the playing XI, with five changes made to the team. Notably, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf,and Salman Ali Agha were omitted from the lineup, making way for Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Haris, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Wasim, and Zaman Khan to take their places.
Pakistan’s batting performance in the match got off to a rocky start, with Fakhar Zaman falling early. While Shafique managed to smash a half-century, he struggled to find adequate support from his fellow batters, resulting in Pakistan slumping to a precarious 130/5 at one point. The partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed rescued their side with a substantial 108-run stand.
However, despite this recovery, the changes made to the batting order didn’t earn the approval of Shahid Afridi, who remained critical of the team’s overall performance.
Also READ: Asia Cup 2023 – Gautam Gambhir lashes out at Babar Azam’s captaincy after Pakistan’s Super 4 loss against Sri Lanka
‘Did Pakistan miss the trick?’: Shahid Afridi
The former Pakistani skipper Afridi took to Twitter to express his thoughts, stating that the chosen batting order was not the most suitable for the situation. The tweet reflected his critical assessment of the team’s decision-making and lineup choices during the match.
“Did Pakistan miss the trick? We could have made better choices in the batting order. What do you guys think? In my opinion, this was not the best batting order according to the situation. @Asiacup2023” Afridi wrote on his Twitter handle.
Did Pakistan miss the trick? We could have made better choices in the batting order. What do you guys think?
In my opinion this was not the best batting order according to the situation. @Asiacup2023— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 14, 2023
