'Baalo Me Conditioning Karke Taiyaar Hone Se Kuch Nahi Hota-'- Shahid Afridi's Brutal Advice To Khushdil Shah

Pakistan suffered a 67-run defeat in the seventh T20I against England in Lahore, losing the series to 3-4. Pakistan could only reach 142/7 in 20 overs after conceding a mammoth score of 209/3 in 20 overs, as their middle-order failed to get going again.

After openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were dismissed for low scores, the middle order was exposed and succumbed to pressure. Except for Shan Masood (56), no other batter impressed as Pakistan succumbed to a series defeat.

The Pakistan team's poor performance infuriated the stadium crowd, who chanted "parchi, parchi" at their middle-order batter Khushdil Shah, implying that the batter was chosen not on merit but based on recommendations. Khushdil scored only 63 runs in the series and was dismissed on 27 off 25 deliveries in the last game.

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi spoke extensively about the fan chants and insisted that the players be prepared to face all manner of criticism if they fail to perform.

"See, there is no doubt that when you give consistent performances, the crowd will worship you. Poor form comes in every player's life, and criticism is a part of it. But in the end, you will have to make a comeback. Everyone is expecting fours and sixes from you in the lower order and if you don't perform for 5-6 matches in a row despite being a main player in the team, then you will have to be ready for criticism," Afridi told Samaa TV.

"You have to face criticism in international cricket. You have to convert it into good performances. A player is tested in international cricket. If you have talent but you are not brave enough, you can't face the challenges," he added.

Achhe kapde pehenke banda achha toh lag jaata hai: Shahid Afrid on Pakistani players

After the anchor pointed out that Pakistan cricketers aren't particularly receptive to criticism, Afridi responded in an interesting manner.

"Achhe kapde pehenke banda achha toh lag jaata hai, but asal cheez toh performance hain. Baalo me conditioning karke taiyaar hone se kuch nahi hota. Asal cheez performances hain. Performance aapko khoobsurat banaati hai. International cricket is all about pressure, aur depend karta hai players pe, ki kaise vo pressure handle karte hain (You can wear good clothes and apply hair conditioner all you want, but in the end, it's your performances that matter. International cricket is all about pressure and it depends on the players on how they handle it.)," Afridi said.

"Ye dileri ki cricket hai. Agar aap andar se tagde honge, aap har cheez ko face kar sakte hain. Aapki best cheez performances hain. Agar aapko har match me chance mil raha hai, aapko perform karna padega (You have to be brave. If you are strong, you can face any situation. If you are getting chances in every match, you will have to perform," he concluded.