Saqlain embarrassed as he tries to defend son-in-law Shadab Khan despite poor T20 World Cup show: 'No, just tell me...'

Pakistan cricket team’s struggles in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 continued after a narrow two-wicket loss to England in the Super 8 stage on Tuesday. England skipper Harry Brook scored a brilliant 51-ball century, leading his side to a tense 166/8 chase against Pakistan’s 164/9. Brook’s innings also helped England reach the semifinals with one match to spare.

Pakistan’s batting, on the other hand, was let down by inconsistent contributions from key players. Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, and Salman Agha failed once again. Sahibzada Farhan was the top scorer with 63 off 45 balls, while Shadab Khan made 23 off 11 but didn’t take any wickets. Mohammad Nawaz took two wickets but also went for runs at the death as Pakistan lost the game.

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Saqlain and Hafeez locked in a heated debate

Pakistan are now in a dire situation as they face a real threat of elimination. Former cricketers Mohammad Hafeez and Saqlain Mushtaq engaged in a heated debate over the team’s performance during a live show on Pakistan’s TV channel. The argument revolved around team selection, with all-rounders Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan at the center of the discussion.

Hafeez questioned the role of Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz, asking, “Is he a bowling all-rounder or a batting all-rounder?” Saqlain tried to defend Shadab and Nawaz, insisting they are equally good with the bat and ball. “Look, he [Nawaz] is a bit of both. You cannot say that he is a bowling all-rounder. I think his batting is equally good,” Saqlain said.

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Hafeez shot back, saying, “Look, I call myself an all-rounder. I played for Pakistan. My primary job was batting. If I am not doing anything in batting, I do not need my 8, 6 or 4 overs. My team captain used to tell me that if I do not score in batting, we do not need your 4 overs in T20, 10 overs or 8 overs in One-Day. So, my primary job is batting. Similarly, Nawaz’s primary job is bowling.”

🚨🚨 HEATED ARGUMENT BETWEEN HAFEEZ AND SAQLAIN MUSHTAQ🚨

-Saqlain is trying to defend his son-in-law

-Hafeez asking why is he in team ? What are his first priority in the team ?

• Shadab is the biggest Parchi after Babar Azam ❗pic.twitter.com/o4sm5MbhFh

— SheR•ALI (@Sher__Ali) February 24, 2026

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This is being seen as a jibe at Shadab, a bowling all-rounder and Saqlain’s son-in-law, who failed to make an impact with the ball despite being a bowling all-rounder. A similar exchange took place after Pakistan’s heavy loss to India, where Hafeez blamed senior players, including Shadab, Babar, and Shaheen Afridi for underperforming while Saqlain put the responsibility on the support staff.

Pakistan’s failure to post an above-par total again proved to be costly. If knocked out, this will mark the third ICC event in a row where Pakistan failed to reach the semifinals. Pakistan’s opening Super 8 game against New Zealand was washed out. Their last and final Group 2 game is scheduled against Sri Lanka on February 28.