Imran Khan wanted me to become Lahore Qalandars’ captain: Shaheen Afridi

Shaheen Shah Afridi turned the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars into a formidable side in just two years of his captaincy and he will lead the squad to win their third successive title in PSL 9.

Afridi revealed he had never been a captain on any junior level but it was former Pakistani captain Imran Khan who advised him to become the franchise’s captain.

Khan led Pakistan to their one and only World Cup glory back in 1992 by defeating England in the final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

"I have not captained at any age level, really, maybe once at Under-19 level," Shaheen told ESPNcricinfo. "I never even had an interest in captaincy. But then in 2021, I was sitting in the PM office with Sameen bhai [Lahore Qalandars owner] and Aqib Javed, and Imran Khan suggested that I be appointed captain.

“Obviously, you can never say no to Imran bhai. After that, I became captain of Lahore. I was vice-captain, but when Imran bhai said I should be captain, that's when the change happened."

Afridi took charge of the Qalandars side when they were statistically the worst PSL side in its six-year history. However, Shaheen’s non-traditional captaincy style changed the fortunes of the two-time PSL winners and they now remain favourites of this year’s edition as well.

Shaheen then went on to reveal that he visited Imran Khan after Lahore won their maiden title in 2021 and thanked him for keeping faith in him.

"When we won the title in 2022, I went to meet Imran bhai and told him 'at least we've now won one title!' And I thanked him at the time for showing faith in me. That's when my captaincy started, until then I had no interest," Shaheen said.

“Imran said most great fast bowlers have been captains because fast bowlers have the authority to set fields and they understand other fast bowlers, concerning what they need and what they're going through. Those few nuggets of wisdom from him were very valuable to me, and I'd like to give him full credit for it."

Remember, PSL 9 commences on February 17 with Islamabad United taking on Lahore Qalandars at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

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