LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has called on the national team to deliver top-notch performances in all three departments to successfully defend their ICC Champions Trophy title, which kicks off on Wednesday with a high-profile match against New Zealand at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

Afridi emphasised that the tournament would be fiercely competitive, with all eight participating teams being well-prepared and evenly matched.

“It’s a big tournament, and Pakistan need to fire on all cylinders in batting, bowling and fielding to defend their title,” the 47-year-old Afridi said while speaking to reporters here on Tuesday.

Afridi expressed his desire to see the team win all their matches, including the highly anticipated pool match against arch-rivals India, which will be played in Dubai on Feb 23.

However, the former all-rounder did express some reservations about the selection of a couple of players in the national team, although he refrained from disclosing their names.

“I’m not entirely convinced about the selection of a few players, and I think they shouldn’t be part of the team,” Afridi said, echoing the sentiments of many experts and fans who have questioned the inclusion of certain players, particularly all-rounders Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2025