As Pakistan cricket saw a major change in leadership with Babar Azam resigning from the position in the wake of the World Cup fiasco, former captain Shahid Afridi has denied any involvement in elevating his son-in-law and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi as the captain of the national T20 side.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reacted quickly after Babar announced his decision, selecting Shan Masood to lead the Test team and Shaheen to lead the Twenty20 International team.
But Shaheen’s selection stoked speculation about Shahid’s potential influence—Shahid earlier this year wed off his daughter Ansha to Shaheen.
“I have always supported Muhammad Rizwan. I promise that I never advocated for Shaheen to be the captain or ever mentioned the idea. I have no involvement with these matters. Afridi remarked on Samaa TV, “I don’t have to, and I don’t enjoy it either.
Afridi also said how he thought Babar should stay in charge. “I said that Babar shouldn’t lose his captaincy. Shaheen shouldn’t have been captain, in my opinion.
Pakistan only managed to win four of their nine league stage matches, which resulted in their elimination from the present ICC World Cup. The Men-in-Green had not advanced to the semifinals in the previous six tournament editions for the sixth time in their history.
“I vividly remember the moment when I received the call from PCB to lead Pakistan in 2019,” Babar said on social media on Wednesday. I’ve had a lot of highs and lows over the last four years, both on and off the field, but my ultimate goal has been to uphold Pakistan’s dignity and respect in the cricket community.
“Players, coaches, and management worked together to get us to the top rank in the white-ball format, but I would also want to thank the fervent Pakistani cricket fans for their steadfast support during this trip. I am resigning from my position as Pakistan’s captain for all forms today. Although it’s a tough choice, I think now is the best moment for this call,” he said.
