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I have always tried to keep Shaheen away from captaincy: Shahid Afridi

Shaheen was recently replaced as captain by Babar Azam

By Web Desk

April 04, 2024

Shaheen (L) was replaced by Babar Azam, who was named by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as captain of the limited-overs side. Facebook/ShaheenAfridi/File

Former all-rounder Shahid Afridi has opened up about the removal of Shaheen Afridi as captain of the T20I side.

Shaheen was replaced by Babar Azam, who was named by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as captain of the limited-overs side.

"I want Shaheen to focus on his own cricket," Afridi said in a statement, adding that the left-arm pacer didn't heed his advice against accepting captaincy of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars.

"I always tried to keep Shaheen away from captaincy," Afridi added, further noting that many former captains, including himself, didn't see a good end — to their role as skippers.

The board, in a statement, said that the change in captaincy was a "strategic move" aimed at ensuring player well-being and peak performance and that the decision reflected PCB's resolve to safeguard the longevity of the players, especially the fast bowlers.

It is pertinent to know that the board had appointed Shaheen as the team's T20 skipper following Babar's resignation from the key post in November last year following the team’s below-par performance in the 2023 Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup.

Elaborating on his views regarding the team's captaincy, Afridi once again reiterated his support for Mohammad Rizwan and recalled that he had in fact advised the previous PCB chairman to appoint the wicket-keeper batter as the team's skipper in white-ball cricket.

Azam’s first assignment as captain after being reappointed will be the T20I series against New Zealand, which begins on April 18.