Former Pakistan cricket captain Mohammad Hafeez has strongly criticized the performance of Pakistan’s pace trio—Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf—following their disappointing display in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Hafeez, who was part of the 2017 Champions Trophy-winning team led by Sarfaraz Ahmed, has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to look beyond the three pacers, claiming they have repeatedly failed to deliver in crucial matches.
Shaheen, Haris and Naseem have long been Pakistan’s first-choice pacers in white-ball cricket, yet their inconsistency has cost the team on several occasions. In their Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19, they conceded more than 200 runs. Their struggles continued in a must-win match against India in Dubai, where they failed to defend a target of 242 runs, allowing Indian batters to settle in and dictate the game.
Hafeez, who is part of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy coverage on PTV, did not hold back in his criticism.Expressing his frustration, he remarked, “2023 mein Asia Cup shuru hua, hamari expectation thi ki ye trio—Shaheen, Naseem aur Haris—ye ready hai ki hume bade events jitwa ke de, failure. 2023 50-over World Cup, failure. 2022 T20 tournament in Melbourne, failure. Ye wala ICC Champions Trophy, failure.”
He further emphasized that while many regard these pacers as skilled, they have failed to prove themselves in major tournaments. “It is time to realise that these guys, according to many people they have skills, lekin vo skills bada tournament jitwane k kabil nahi hume najar aa rahe hai, vo sabit nahi kar rahe hai. Let’s move on from them. Let’s bring other people. Let’s go with Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Akif Javed, Mir Hamza. These guys are waiting for their chances. Inko khila k dekh lete hai. They are also Pakistani; they also have a Pakistani passport,” he added.
Hafeez did not stop at criticizing the pacers but also took a swipe at star batter Babar Azam, who has often struggled to perform at the highest level against India. His comments have sparked debate within the cricketing fraternity, with many questioning whether Pakistan needs a major revamp to regain its lost glory on the international stage.
