Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi May Skip New Zealand Tour to Escape the Axe: Reports

Several senior Pakistan cricketers are thinking about pulling out from the upcoming tour of New Zealand to avoid the chance of being left out, sources said on Friday. According to insiders, a few players have started talking about taking a "break" from the series, which includes five T20Is and three ODIs, scheduled from March 16 to April 5.

The worries come from their poor performances in the recently finished ICC Champions Trophy, which have disappointed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials. Sources say some players are afraid of being called "dropped" and are considering stepping away from the squad on their own.

Speculation regarding potential exclusions has increased, with speculation that key players such as Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Babar Azam are at risk of being omitted. Pakistan completed their home Champions Trophy campaign winless after their last match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium was abandoned due to rain.

It has been a disappointing tour so far for Mohammad Rizwan, captained Pakistan in the first major international tournament hosted by the nation since 1996, and their six-wicket defeat against arch-rivals India will be particularly painful. The poor show of the team and premature exit from the current Champions Trophy 2025 have not only invited severe criticism from fans and the cricket fraternity but also made waves in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain and team director Mohammad Hafeez sharply criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the ongoing crisis. He suggested that the PCB should consider appointing a foreign chairman to help fix the national team's struggles. During a discussion on a Pakistani sports news channel, Hafeez said, “For the solution, we have talked about the management and the players. We always say that we need foreign coaches because we believe they perform the best. So why not have a foreign chairman?”

Pakistan set an unfortunate record by becoming the only host nation to not win a single game in the entire tournament since the Group Stages were introduced in the Champions Trophy. This is also their second Champions Trophy campaign without a single victory, with the 2013 edition still being their worst tournament.

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