Babar Azam Vs Shaheen Afridi: Pakistan Team Split Wide Open After Asia Cup 2023 Exit?

In a shocking turn of events, the unity within the Pakistan cricket team has suffered a significant blow following their exit from the Asia Cup 2023. The incident that has raised eyebrows occurred during Babar Azam's post-match speech after Pakistan's narrow defeat to Sri Lanka in the Super Four stage.

Pakistan heated dressing room argument (Bolnews):

- Babar told players they're not playing responsibly.

- Shaheen said 'at least appreciate who bowled and batted well'.

- Babar didn't like interruption and said 'I know who's performing well'.

- Rizwan came to stop argument. pic.twitter.com/CMsoHloQH8

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 16, 2023

Dressing Room Drama

As per reports by Pakistan news channel Dawn, Babar Azam lost his cool in the dressing room after the defeat. He called out players for their poor performance, which ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi didn’t look. He interrupted and asked Babar to appreciate the players who did well but the skipper didn’t react in a positive way. Later, Mohammad Rizwan had to interfere to solve the issue. In the wake of this dramatic exit from the Asia Cup, Pakistan cricket faces uncertainty, and the Babar Azam vs. Shaheen Afridi clash adds to the intrigue surrounding the team's future.

Post-Match Fallout

Sources reveal that Babar Azam maintained a noticeable distance from his teammates after the match, even during their stay at the team hotel and while flying back to Pakistan.

The Root Cause

The root cause of this discord appears to be Pakistan's failure to secure a spot in the Asia Cup 2023 final. Despite starting the Super Four stage with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh, their subsequent defeats to arch-rivals India and, most significantly, to Sri Lanka, dashed their hopes of reaching the final.

Shaheen Afridi's Tweet

“Disappointed with how it finished but this is not the end. We never gave up and fought all the way, and this fighting spirit should not go down. There is a bigger challenge coming our way and we will be better prepared for it In shaa’Allah. Pakistan Zindabad,” Shaheen Afridi tweeted after Asia Cup 2023 exit.

Sri Lanka's Thrilling Win

Kusal Mendis’ 91 and an unbeaten 49 by Charith Asalanka helped Sri Lanka eliminate Pakistan with a two-wicket win in a last-ball thriller of the Asia Cup 2023. With the win, Sri Lanka set up a final clash with India while Babar Azam and company were left heartbroken. Chasing a DLS revised target of 252 in the 42-overs-a-side contest in Colombo, Sri Lanka needed eight from the final over and achieved the target with Asalanka’s winning hit on the last ball.

Shadab Khan's Struggles

Among the players who underperformed for Pakistan in the tournament was their star spinner Shadab Khan. The bowler started the tournament with a four-wicket haul against Nepal but failed to carry on the impressive performance in the following games.

Babar Azam's Frustration

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was left furious following their defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the ongoing Asia Cup. They had to defeat Sri Lanka to cement their position in the final of the competition but unfortunately, they lost by two wickets and got crushed out of the tournament.