'Miss the trick?': Shahid Afridi voices concern as Pakistan stumbles in must-win match against Sri Lanka

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi expressed his dissatisfaction with the changes in the batting order during the crucial Asia Cup 2023 match against Sri Lanka. The match, a virtual semi-final between the co-hosts, saw Pakistan electing to bat after winning the toss, despite a history of rain interruptions.

Babar Azam, dealing with injuries, had to make five changes to the playing XI following their massive 228-run defeat to India. Pakistan's batting struggled, with Fakhar Zaman falling early, and Abdullah Shafique's half-century lacking support. They were at 130/5 at one point.

However, Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed rescued Pakistan with a 108-run partnership. Despite their success, Afridi criticized the batting order on social media, suggesting they "missed the trick."

“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 (formerly Twitter).

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

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 14, 2023

Afridi possibly believed Shadab Khan should have batted ahead of Iftikhar Ahmed. Nonetheless, Iftikhar contributed with a 46-run knock, supporting Rizwan, who remained unbeaten with 86, helping Pakistan post 252/7 in 42 overs, following rain interruptions.

Sri Lanka, with a revised target of 252 in 252 balls due to the rain, had a promising start. Shadab played a role in two dismissals as Pakistan defended their total.