Usman Shinwari wants PCB to bench senior players including Babar, Shaheen

HOUSTON: Pakistan's poor performance in T20 World Cup 2024 has disappointed professional cricketers and fans alike following which pacer Usman Shinwari wants the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to rest senior players including captain Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

The fast bowler said this while talking to Geo News on Saturday in Houston, United States, as he believed that the seasoned players were worn out because of playing matches relentlessly which also killed chance for new talent to flourish.

Shinwari said that the seniors did not sit on bench even in the matches against low-ranked teams such as Ireland and Bangladesh.

He said such attitude of seniors had restricted the Pakistan cricket to 15 players. “(Because of them) the domestic cricketers are forced to emigrate,” he remarked, stressing that the players from domestic cricket must be given chance to play for the national side.

The cricketer, currently living in the US, also believed that selection on the basis of Pakistan Super League (PSL) performance should be stopped.

His comments came mainly in the backdrop of Pakistan's elimination from the T20 World Cup due to poor performance.

The Pakistan cricket team didn’t qualify for the Super Eight, which led to its elimination from the tournament. The team is facing criticism over their poor performance in the group stage matches.

Pakistan were defeated by debutants US by five runs in a Super Over tie and against India by six runs. They managed to win against Canada on June 11 by seven wickets.

With the match between the US and Ireland abandoned due to rain on June 14, the co-hosts secured one point, consequently ending Pakistan's hopes of proceeding in the tournament.

The national team's last league game against Ireland was only a formality, after which the squad returned home.

At least 7 Pakistanis to play in Canada League

On the other hand, Pakistan’s various international players have signed a deal with Global T20 Canada League soon after their World Cup journey ended.

The Canada cricket league features six teams and the tournament will begin on July 25.

Four Pakistani players, Babar, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan and Asif Ali will play for Vancouver Knights. Shaheen and Mohammad Nawaz have joined Toronto Nationals, while Iftikhar Ahmed will feature in Bangla Tigers.