Shaheen Shah Afridi’s hopes of extending his captaincy are hanging on a thread after the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi pointedly declined to confirm Afridi’s continuation in the captaincy role.
While launching the seven-member selection committee, he confirmed that the committee will determine who will be the new T20 captain of Pakistan team.
Naqvi said, “Even I don’t know who the captain will be, Whether Shaheen continues or a new captain comes in will be determined after the fitness camp [starting on Monday]. There are a number of technical factors we will consider, the details of which I do not want to go into. We want a long-term solution, whether it’s Shaheen or a new man. And then we intend to stick by that man, instead of just changing a captain just because you lose a match or captain.”
Cause of Shaheen’s Replacement
Shaheen Shah Afridi was appointed as the captain of the T20I side in November 2023. His first assignment was the 5-match series against New Zealand in New Zealand. The Pak team failed disastrously under Shaheen’s leadership and lost by 4-1. His leadership instantly came under intense scrutiny, though he was coming after winning the PSL 2022 and 2023 for Lahore Qalandars.
Shaheen was the first choice to become the New T20 Captain of Pakistan When Babar Azam left the captaincy after World Cup 2023. The cause of this was that Shaheen was the winning captain for Lahore Qalandars in PSL 2022 and 2023, Shaheen failed to lead the team to win against NZ vs PAK T20I series; it was followed by a disastrous campaign for Lahore Qalandars in PSL 2024. LQ just won a single match out of 10 and finished the tournament bottom of the table.
Contenders for T20 Captain
After a terrible start to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s captaincy career, PCB chief hints Pakistan could get a new T20I captain of Pakistan Cricket Team anymore. There are few contenders for the new T20 Captain of Pakistan team.
Babar Azam
PCB officials are reconsidering Babar Azam as the captain after leading a great PSL campaign for Peshawar Zalmi. He was also named the “Best Batter of the PSL 2024”.
After the speculations about Babar’s Captaincy went viral that PCB might replace him, he mysteriously gave his resignation from the leadership role from all formats.
Some resources claim that Babar Azam has refused to become the captain again. Babar Azam has a decent record as the captain of the Pakistan team, as he ranks as the second most successful captain of T20 after Sarfaraz Ahmed. News is coming that Babar Azam is again is the top contender to become the New T20 Captain of Pakistan team.
Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan led Islamabad United to their third title in the Pakistan Super League. After Babar, Shadab is the strongest contender for the new T20 captain of Pakistan. Shadab was the vice-captain of T20I and was replaced by Rizwan in January 2024 after getting injured. Former T20 Captain of Pakistan team, Shahdab has increased his chances to become the New T20 Captain of Pakistan after winning the PSL 2024 title.
Muhammad Rizwan
The vice-captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team and the captain of the PSL franchise, Multan Sultans Muhammad Rizwan, is likely to become the captain of the national cricket team of Pakistan in the T20 format. He is the most successful captain of PSL as he has his team, Multan Sultans, to the playoffs every season since its inception in 2018. After playing 4 consecutive PSL finals made Mohammad Rizwan is one of the top contenders to become the New T20 Captain of Pakistan team.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
There is a little hope that the new selection committee could retain the former captain of T20I, Shaheen Shah Afridi. Now, All eyes are on the new seven-member selection committee.
All the cricket fans are eager to know who will be the New T20 Captain of Pakistan as the home series with NZ is almost here, a tour of Ireland and England is approaching, and the mega event of T20 World Cup 2024 is starting from June 02.
Shahid Afridi Backs Shaheen as Captain
Amid the certainty surrounding Shaheen Shah Afridi’s captaincy future, the former all-around pacer, Shahid Afridi, has spoken out in favor of his son-in-law.
Shahid Afridi, while talking to the media during a Ramzan tournament, stated,
“I think that if you have appointed someone (Shaheen) as captain and given him the responsibility, you should give him time as well.”
He added, “Changing the captain indicates that either the choice to appoint him was wrong or to replace him at this time is incorrect.”
Along with Shahid Afridi, many cricket pundits agree that Shaheen should have given some more time.
