Shahid Afridi criticized the PCB’s reported decision to remove Shaheen Afridi as T20 captain ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Shahid Afridi, the legendary Pakistani cricketer, expressed his disapproval of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) reported decision to change captains ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. This comes after Shaheen Afridi, Afridi’s son-in-law, was reportedly relieved of his captaincy duties following a string of losses in his debut series.
The PCB had implemented a leadership overhaul following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Babar Azam was removed from captaincy across all formats, with Shan Masood taking charge in Tests and Shaheen Afridi entrusted with the T20I captaincy. As both of these captains failed to provide for their national teams, the PCB now reinstates Babar Azam back into contention for captaincy. However, Shahid believes Shaheen deserves more time to prove himself.
“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 on the board. 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,” Afridi was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
Moving forward, the veteran cricketer also commented on the reversal of the retirements of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir. He expressed confidence that the duo could regain peak fitness if they performed well at the ongoing training camp. “But I can tell you that if they can come through this two-week training camp in Kakul, they will be supermen,” he said.
The training camp, involving 29 players, is designed to prepare the Pakistani team for a busy upcoming schedule. This includes the T20I series against New Zealand, Ireland, and England, and concluding with the T20 World Cup 2024. The camp has already begun on March 26th and will run until April 8th.
Last Updated on March 28, 2024
