The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈

Right, drop Shadab Khan, drop Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam and the rest of them whilst you’re at it. The fallout from Pakistan has been a big one; those players who should get dropped apparently isn’t necessarily the view of mine, but that of ex-players.

Shadab, a former vice-captain, has been plagued by injuries in this past year or so, but has made a comeback ot the side and on the whole has done ok. His batting has been positive and selfless, and his fielding is usually i very tidy, but his bowling at times goes before him.

The Islamabad United skipper tends to bowl full-tosses. If a player were to be dropped for this offence, then Pakistan won’t have a team left. So, in terms of Khan, I think he should be in the team.

There is a need for the full-toss issue to be addressed, but Shadab is too much of an asset in the other parts of his game to be dropped. As for Shaheen, I think he’s the one out of the ones the ex-players whose place is most under threat, or at least it should have been.

The Lahore Qalander’s captain has improved in his batting and fielding, but ironically, it’s the bowling that’s been the issue that I have with Shaheen. He’s left-handed, and I am too, so it must be serious when I speak about a fellow leftie.

Shaheen Shah Afridi needs to be dropped. For how many games? That I don’t know, but for enough games to make him think that Salman Mirza can take his starting berth.

Mirza is a good and well-skilled operator, and on the slower Sri Lankan pitches, surely should have been given a run-out on these pitches. As for Babar, the ex-skipper needs to be allowed to be able to play his game.

In world sport, yes, it’s a team gam,e and there shouldn’t be any ‘passengers’, but this is Babar Azam, the man who has scored three T20 centuries. Not many have done that.

Babar has done it with a near 150 strike-rate, too. It’s something which the Pakistan think-tank have forced him to do. Babar Azam is one of the most elegant players in world cricket, and when the 31-year-old is flying, he scores his runs in such a way that shows a good strike rate.

These three-players have been the hot topic for players who should be dropped. Sahibzada Farhan is one who is very marmite-like. After his no score against arch-rivals India, I don’t love Farhan, let’s just say. I have not got enough of a reason to hate him, but for the love of God, you can take singles!