KARACHI: Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has expressed his support for Shaheen Shah Afridi amid uncertainty surrounding his tenure as the captain of the national T20I cricket team.
There were recent reports that Shaheen could be replaced by Babar Azam ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Afridi, who is Shaheen’s father-in-law, backed the 24-year-old and said the skipper should be given enough time to prove his mettle.
“I think if you have appointed someone as captain (Shaheen) and given him responsibility, give him time as well,” Afridi told the media on Tuesday.
“If you change the captain, then either the decision to appoint him was wrong or the decision to change him now is wrong,” he added.
Remember, Shaheen took over the T20I captaincy after Babar’s exit, following their disappointing performance in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
However, the left arm was in for a tough start as captain, which began with a five-match away series against New Zealand this January.
Pakistan faced a 4-1 series defeat and Shaheen’s future as captain immediately came under scrutiny.
Things took a turn for the worse for the 23-year-old in Season 9 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as two-time champions Lahore Qalandars managed to win just one out of 10 matches under his leadership and finished at the bottom of the table.
Qalandars’ disastrous PSL 9 campaign has fueled speculation that Shaheen Afridi may be replaced as T20I captain.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has addressed the ongoing captaincy saga and revealed that a new selection committee will decide on the leadership of the national team.
“Even I don’t know who will be the captain,” Naqvi said. “Whether Shaheen continues or a new captain comes in will be decided after the fitness camp [starts on Monday].
“There are a number of technical factors that we will consider, the details of which I don’t want to go into. We want a long-term solution, whether it’s Shaheen or a new man. And then we’re going to stick with that man, instead of just changing the captain just because you lose a match or a captain,” he added.
It is to be noted that Pakistan hosts New Zealand for a five-match series from April 18. The men in green will head to England and Ireland for four and two T20Is respectively before the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.
