The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday (March 31) sacked Shaheen Afridi from the T20I captaincy and reappointed former skipper Babar Azam to the role in the white-ball formats.

Notably, Babar had relinquished captaincy from all formats shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup, in which his team failed to qualify for the knockouts.

In the wake of Babar's resignation, the PCB had appointed Shaheen as T20I captain while Shan Masood was named the Test skipper.

The recent development has caused a stir as Shaheen is reportedly furious that the PCB used a phoney statement in support of Babar which he actually never made.

PCB issued a media release and attributed Shaheen Afridi calling it his "duty" to back Babar Azam in the captaincy. However, a report published in ESPNCricinfo claimed that Shaheen never provided any such statement.

"It was an absolute honour to captain the Pakistan National Cricket Team. I will always cherish the memories and the opportunity. As a team player, it is my duty to back our captain, Babar Azam. I have played under his captaincy and have nothing but respect for him. I will try to help him on and off the field. We are all one. Our aim is the same, to help Pakistan become the best team in the world," PCB's official release quoted Shaheen as saying.

The report stated that Shaheen has not provided those comments. The left-arm pacer was about to make a statement as he was furious with the board, but instead, the PCB called him in for urgent talks.

Another round of talks are scheduled with Shaheen Afridi, highlighting the PCB's desperate attempt to calm the outgoing skipper’s ire and stop things from getting worse.

The team's tensions have only augmented as a result of PCB's intervention, which could jeopardize the healthy bond between Pakistan's two star players - Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam.

(ESPNCricinfo inputs)