Babar, Shaheen to be dropped after flop show vs India:Unhappy Mohsin Naqvi left stadium early; Pak in must-win situation vs Namibia

Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi might be dropped from the Pakistan team after losing to India in the T20 World Cup 2026. The senior players flopped big time in the 61-run loss to Insia India and reportedly, will sit out for Pakistan’s last Group A match against Namibia. Pakistan find themselves in a do-or-die situation against Namibia on 18 February. If Pakistan lose to Namibia, they will be knocked out of the T20 World Cup. Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi to be dropped against Namibia According to PTI, both Babar and Shaheen will be dropped for Pakistan’s must-win match against Namibia. This was a call made by the team management has decided to look away from the senior players who have failed to perform in crucial matches. “Late night, the management think tank decided enough was enough and it was to bench Babar and Shaheen and try out Salman Mirza/Naseem Shah and Fakhar Zaman against Namibia on Wednesday,” a source said. Shaheen bowled two overs, giving away 31 runs while taking just one wicket against India. Babar, on the other hand, managed just five runs off seven deliveries. Mohsin Naqvi unhappy with team’s performance, left stadium early The report also states that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi was unhappy with the team’s performance and left the stadium early. Naqvi has conveyed his message of displeasure to team manager Naveed Akram Cheema that such a defeat was not understandable or acceptable. “The Chairman left the match early at the Premadasa stadium as it became obvious Pakistan were going to face another defeat to India,” the source said. Babar Azam only scored 66 runs in T20 World Cup 2026 so far Babar performance in the T20 World Cup has been lackluster so far. He has scored only 66 runs in 3 matches of the tournament. His best score during this period is 46 runs, which he made against the USA. Babar is the second-highest run-scorer for Pakistan in this World Cup. Only Sahibzada Farhan is ahead of him, who has scored 120 runs. Shaheen Afridi has only taken 3 wickets so far Shaheen’s bowling has also not been effective in this T20 World Cup. He has only managed to take three wickets so far. During this, his best performance has been 1/28. Shahid Afridi calls for dropping senior players Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi demanded the removal of Babar, Shaheen and Shadab Khan after the loss to India. He said that these players have been playing for a long time, but are not performing as expected. The former all-rounder also called for new players to be given a chance against Namibia, so that they can build confidence. It is worth noting that Shaheen is Shahid Afridi’s son-in-law. Shoaib Akhtar slams Mohsin Naqvi, calls him ‘Jaahil’; Mohammad Yousaf calls for dropping seniors Ex-Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar questioned the team’s poor performance while also criticising Naqvi. While speaking to an Indian channel, Akhtar called Naqvi ‘Jaahil’ (incompetent) and said “Why is someone who doesn’t know how to work seated on the chair?” Former Pakistani batsman Mohammad Yousaf said that time is up for Babar, Shaheen and Shadab. In a post on X, he said that Pakistan needed new performers and not simply victories against weaker teams. Before the India match, Pakistan had wins against the Netherlands and USA.