Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has stated that his main goal is to win matches for the country rather than chasing captaincy.

After Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-final during last year’s ODI World Cup in India, Babar Azam stepped down as skipper from all formats and the T20I captaincy was handed to Shaheen.

Under Shaheen, Pakistan suffered a 4-1 defeat in a T20I series on the tour of New Zealand and Babar was reinstated in the role.

During an interaction with the media in Karachi on Monday (July 29), the left-arm quick mentioned that leadership roles are beyond his control and not his personal ambition.

"Pakistan is first and foremost for me, then it's the team, and I come after that. I don't like to think about the past. My job is to be in the present, and I don't think about the future. If your present is good, you can be well-prepared for the future. Captaincy is not in my hands, and I have never played my cricket for captaincy. I want to play cricket for Pakistan and I will do that with dignity," Shaheen told reporters.

Pakistan’s fortunes didn’t change after Babar Azam was handed the white-ball captaincy again. The Men in Green were eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024 in the group-stage last month. They paid the price for a Super Over defeat against debutants USA in their campaign opener, followed by a nervy six-run defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India.

After this dismal show, fans and many former cricketers called for wholesale changes in the Pakistan side, including the removal of Babar Azam as skipper.

Pakistan’s next assignment is the home Test series against Bangladesh, slated to get underway on August 21 in Rawalpindi. The two-match series will conclude in Karachi on September 3.