Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, expressed his dissatisfaction with the batting order adjustments made by the management during the crucial Asia Cup 2023 match against Sri Lanka. This game, a virtual semifinal between the co-hosts, took an unexpected turn when Babar Azam, having won the toss on a rain-affected day, chose to bat first.
Due to injuries, Babar had to make five changes to the playing XI that suffered a significant 228-run loss to India, marking Pakistan’s heaviest defeat to India in ODI cricket.
In this must-win match to secure a spot in the Asia Cup 2023 final against India on September 17, Pakistan’s batting order faced early challenges, with Fakhar Zaman’s early dismissal. While Abdullah Shafique managed to score a half-century, he lacked support from other batsmen, and Pakistan found themselves at 130/5 at one point.
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However, Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed later rescued their team with a 108-run partnership. Despite this recovery, Afridi expressed his frustration on social media, stating that the batting order changes weren’t ideal for Pakistan and suggesting that they might have missed an opportunity to strategize effectively.
“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,” wrote Afridi on X.
It appears that Afridi believed Shadab Khan should have been given the opportunity to bat ahead of Iftikhar Ahmed. Nevertheless, Iftikhar Ahmed, the experienced player, put up an impressive performance by scoring a valuable 46-run innings. He provided excellent support to Mohammad Rizwan, who remained unbeaten with a crucial 86, ultimately guiding Pakistan to a total of 252/7 in 42 overs.