IND vs PAK: Shahid Afridi comes up with 'Damad' Theory during Babar Azam criticism - Watch

Add as a preferred source on Google

After the opening match defeat at the hands of USA, Pakistan cricket has gone berserk. The ex-players, experts have started the blame game and captain Babar Azam has faced a lot of wrath.

It was a dismal outing for Pakistan against the minnows. With 15 runs to defend in the final over, Haris Rauf conceded 14 and took the match to Super Over. In the Super Over, Mohammad Amir bowled awfully and conceded 18 runs, eight of which were extras.

After the defeat, questions have arisen about the lack of team unity. And speaking on that, Shahid Afridi indirectly criticized Pakistan captain Babar Azam and stressed the importance of a captain in either elevating or destroying a team's atmosphere.

"Mohammad Wasim has played a superb role as a selector. He knows a few things and even I know a few things, which are not spoken openly. But a captain has the biggest responsibility as a leader as he has to make the team united. A captain can motivate a team or deteriorate the atmosphere. Coach and support staff are there but the captain has the biggest authority," Afridi said to Pakistani media Samaa TV.

Then Afridi conceded that he didn't want to dig too much into the matter as people may accuse him of favouring his son-in-law Shaheen Afridi.

"I don't want to dig deep because if I speak about Shaheen, the relation I have with him, Log people will say I'm taking my son-in-law's side. But if anything is wrong and my relatives or close ones are involved, it is wrong and I don't have to point it out. But honestly, our seniors, our selector and the board have committed big mistakes in the past," Afridi added.

Incidentally, Shaheen Afridi was appointed as the T20 captain last year after Babar stepped down as captain following a dismal 2023 ODI World Cup. But after just a solitary series, Shaheen was axed from his role and Babar Azam was reinstated as captain of the Pakistan team.