'Decision to change him now is wrong'- Shahid Afridi backs Shaheen amid speculation over T20 captaincy removal

Pakistan lost T20I series to New Zealand 1-4 under Shaheen Afridi's captaincy.

By Rashmi Nanda - 27 Mar, 2024

Legendary Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi voiced his support for his son-in-law, Shaheen Shah Afridi, amidst rumors of the pacer being removed as the T20I captain of the Pakistan cricket team.

After Babar Azam quit as Pakistan captain, things only got worse for the Men in Green, and Shaheen badly failed to meet Pakistan’s expectations as T20I skipper, as they lost four of their five matches under the star speedster’s captaincy against New Zealand.

Apart from this, under Shaheen's leadership, Lahore Qalandars finished at the bottom of the points table in the PSL 2024.

However, Shahid Afridi stressed that Shaheen deserves to get sufficient time to showcase his abilities and prove himself in the role of Pakistan’s T20I captain.

Shahid Afridi told media: “I think that if you have appointed someone as captain (Shaheen) and given him the responsibility then give him time as well. The biggest problem with our cricket is that our system changes whenever the faces change in the board.”

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The former skipper added, “Whoever comes thinks whatever he is doing is the best for Pakistan cricket. If you change the captain then either the decision to appoint him was wrong or the decision to change him now is wrong.”

On PCB’s hunt for a foreign coach for the Pakistan team, Afridi said: “I believe that even if you bring in a foreign coach, the staff under him should be Pakistani so that our people can also move forward and improve their skills.”

On being asked about the decision to include Imad Wasim and Muhammad Amir in the national training camp with the army, Afridi is not convinced about their fitness level.

He signed off by saying, “But I can tell you that if they can come through this two-week training camp in Kakul they will be supermen.”

(With PTI Inputs)

By Rashmi Nanda - 27 Mar, 2024

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