Pakistan players should emulate Kohli and de Villiers: Shahid Afridi

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has said that he would like to see more Pakistani players emulate the likes of Virat Kohli and South African AB de Villiers. These comments come from the former skipper a few hours after Australia whitewashed the Pakistanis 3-0 in the three-match Test series.

The series has been nothing short of problems as far as Pakistan is concerned. The first Test saw Asad Shafiq exhibit some grit and tremendous batting acumen as they came within touching distance of scaling the Australian summit at the GABBA in Brisbane. However, the next couple of Tests were quite a bad capitulation of the Pakistanis as they folded and ensured a loss on the final day’s play.

Afridi, who was not a part of the Pakistan side following his axing from the side in the aftermath of the World T20 went on to state that he was not surprised with the way Misbah-ul-Haq’s men performed in the series.

He also went on to add the issues he is currently having with home advantage. He also stated that things would improve with time but the need for performance overseas was something crucial for all players. He finally stated that they should attempt to surpass Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers as well.

“I am not surprised that Pakistan played like this. If you play your domestic cricket on such pitches, you can win in Dubai and Abu Dhabi but not in Australia and New Zealand,” Afridi said in a gathering organised by Jang Group of Companies in Karachi.

He added, “I think things will improve. Players are coming. But it is not the kind of talent which would come in the past. It is all about approach. Our players are content with competitions among themselves. They should aim to surpass world-class players like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.”