Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan need to 'move on' from Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, blasts former Pak coach

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Former Pakistan captain and coach Mohammad Hafeez has criticised the performances of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf following Pakistan's disappointing campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Mohammad Hafeez, who has been vocal about the team's shortcomings, believes the trio has consistently failed to deliver in major tournaments and that Pakistan must look beyond them for future success.

Pakistan's loss to India in Dubai on Sunday once again highlighted the struggles of their pace attack. Speaking on a local sports show, Hafeez pointed out that these three pacers have been unable to make a significant impact in key tournaments over the past two years.

"If we look at the 2023 Asia Cup, the 50-over World Cup, the T20 World Cup, and now the Champions Trophy, the performances of Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris have not been up to the mark," Hafeez stated on a local sports show.

He suggested that the team management should consider fresh options instead of persisting with the same set of fast bowlers.

"Pakistan has other talented bowlers who deserve a chance. Players like Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Akif Javed, and Mir Hamza have been waiting for opportunities. It's time to give them a shot because they are just as capable," Hafeez added.

Pakistan's bowling attack struggled in both of their group-stage matches against New Zealand and India. The three frontline pacers leaked runs, failing to build pressure on the opposition. Shaheen Afridi endured a tough outing, conceding 68 runs without a wicket in his 10-over spell against New Zealand. Against India, he took two wickets but was expensive, giving away 72 runs in eight overs at an economy of 9.25.

Naseem Shah picked up two wickets against New Zealand but proved ineffective against India, returning figures of 0/37 in eight overs. Haris Rauf, meanwhile, was the most expensive of the three, conceding 83 runs against New Zealand and 52 runs against India while failing to take a wicket.

With two consecutive defeats, Pakistan's hopes of reaching the semifinals are hanging by a thread. They face Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 27, needing a win along with favourable results from other matches to stay in contention.