Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi revealed that he didn’t lobby for pacer Shaheen Afridi, who is also his son-in-law to become the T20I captain but instead had told the Pakistan Prime Minister that Babar Azam should’ve remained captain despite the 2023 World Cup debacle.
Days after Pakistan’s exit from the ICC World Cup 2023, where they failed to qualify for the semi-finals, Babar Azam resigned as captain in all three formats after a meeting with Zaka Ashraf, the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee.
Soon after his resignation on social media, the PCB announced Shan Masood as the Test captain and Shaheen Afridi as the captain of the T20I team.
"I was saying that there was no need to change the captain so soon. Prime Minister asked me, if we were talking about cricket and captaincy. I gave my views, saying Babar should not be changed now. I thought he should continue in Test cricket. If you wanted a white-ball captain, I thought Mohammad Rizwan should have been the ideal candidate. I have said this many times in the past as well," Afridi said on SAMAA TV.
Shan Masood to captain Pakistan in Tests; Shaheen Afridi named T20I captain
"I talked to the PCB chairman also. I told them that Babar Azam should continue as the red-ball captain. I told him that one day and T20I captaincy could be given to Mohammad Rizwan. He was captaining Multan Sultans also. He knows how to take the team forward. I would say that this is Mohammad Hafeez's decision along with the chairman,” Afridi added.
Shaheen Afridi was named the T20I captain on the back of the fact that he has won back-to-back PSL titles with his team Lahore Qalandars.
"In terms of Shaheen becoming the T20 captain, I never wanted to get involved in any such decisions because I know people will say I am lobbying for Shaheen, considering his relationship with me. I don't want to get involved in these things. I would not have criticized the chairman if that was the case. I am saying with certainty that till today, I have never backed Shaheen for captaincy," Afridi added.
These appointments were done before Pakistan flies to Australia for three Tests and then to New Zealand for five T20Is.
