Three Pakistan players during their break between matches fell sick in Bengaluru. Opener Abdullah Shafique, pace-bowling spearhead Shaheen Afridi, and back-up spinner Usama Mir have complaints of fever. Sports Tak has learned that there is no viral infection or disease in the Pakistan camp. Also, the players are on their way to recovery ahead of an important clash against Australia.
Pakistan players had a practice session scheduled which was initially cancelled but later rescheduled. The Pakistan team also went out for dinner on October 16. The video was posted by Pakistan Cricket on their social media account.
In their previous encounter, Pakistan suffered a comprehensive defeat by eight wickets at the hands of Rohit Sharma’s India. The Babar Azam-led side is currently placed fourth on the points table. They will take on Pat Cummins’ Australia on October 20 at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. Australia got back to winning ways after an easy five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Lucknow on October 16.
Meanwhile, Babar has been under fire for his captaincy against India. He scored a half-century and shared a crucial partnership with wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. However, Pakistan went from 155/2 to getting bowled out for 191 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik went on to say that Babar should leave captaincy.
"I gave an opinion in the past as well that Babar Azam should leave captaincy. This is my personal opinion. Babar does not think out of the box as a captain. He is doing captaincy, but the improvement is not coming. He can do wonders for Pakistan as a player," stated Malik who was a part of a discussion panel on A Sports.
"Shaheen Afridi should become captain in white ball cricket in case Babar Azam resigns. He has demonstrated an attacking captaincy for Lahore Qalandars," he concluded.
However, his comments did not go down well with former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf as he said, “During the World Cup, I don't think anybody should talk about this. Secondly, Imran Khan captained in 1983 and 1987 and lost both times before winning on his third attempt in 1992. Any good player should be allowed to continue as a captain for a long time. He is the captain because he has the ability. He did not become the captain because he is related to the PCB chairman.
“He is a genuine skipper. So talking about him in this manner is a loss for Pakistan and for him as well, especially amid the immense pressure post that loss against India. I am shocked that Wasim Akram, who was sitting there, did not stop him either.”
MORE ON SPORTS TAK
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Abhishek Sharma comes back to form with 42-ball century vs Andhra
