Babar Azam likely to replace Shaheen Afridi as Pakistan's T20I skipper
Mar 29, 2024
New Delhi [India], March 29 : Pakistan star pacer Shaheen Shah Afirid's stint as skipper of the T20I team is coming to an end as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has offered the captiancy back to Babar Azam.
Last year, after the conclusion of the ODI World Cup, Babar decided to step down from the captaincy of all formats. Afridi was announced as his replacement for the T20 format, while, Shan Masood took the charge in the Test format.
But according to ESPNcricinfo, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Babar earlier this week to make him the captaincy offer but he has yet to accept the offer.
ESPNcricinfo revealed that Babar has set his demands of becoming the captain in all three formats or he won't consider PCB's offer.
Last week, while addressing a press conference, Naqvi dropped a hint on a possible captaincy change and he stated that the captain would be decided by the newly-appointed selectors .
"Even I don't know who the captain will be. Whether Shaheen continues or a new captain comes in will be determined after the fitness camp [starting on Monday]. There are a number of technical factors we will consider, the details of which I do not want to go into. We want a long-term solution, whether it's Shaheen or a new man. And then we intend to stick by that man, instead of just changing a captain just because you lose a match or captain," Naqvi said.
After being appointed in November 2023, Afridi has only led Pakistan in a single T20I series against New Zealand. In his debut series, Pakistan were outplayed throughout the series and ended up suffering a 4-1 defeat.
Afridi's potential to lead came in scrutiny during the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which was held earlier this year. Under his leadership, Lahore Qalandars won a single game in ten matches and finished at the bottom of the table.
Afridi's recent setback could result in a third different T20 skipper for Pakistan within a span of five months.
