Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been receiving mixed views ever since he was announced as the captain of the T20 side.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was declared the captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team T20 side after former captain Babar Azam stepped down from the all-format captaincy. Babar Azam had resigned after the meeting with PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf. Babar was asked to remain the captain of the Test side, he, however, denied it and preferred stepping down from the captaincy.
The same evening, Shaheen Shah Afridi was announced as the captain of the T20 side. Whereas Shan Masood was announced as the Test captain. The news came as a shock to cricket fans, with many calling these decisions drastic measures taken by PCB.
While cricket fans welcomed the decision of Shah Masood leading the Test side, they were skeptical of Shaheen Shah replacing Babar Azam as the T20 captain when the T20 captaincy was not in question.
They slammed Shaheen Shah Afridi for accepting the position and even accused former cricketer, Shahid Afridi also his father-in-law of conspiring against Babar Azam, forcing him to step down.
They also questioned the decision of PCB to give the captaincy to Shaheen Shah Afridi when he was struggling with his form and failed to give an impressive performance in the ICC ODI Men’s World Cup 2023.
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Read more: Shaheen Afridi Named Captain for Pakistan in T20Is, Shan Masood Assumes Test Leadership Role
The PCB, in an official statement, expressed respect for Babar’s decision and emphasized their continued support for him as a player. Zaka Ashraf, the PCB Management Committee Chairman, praised Babar as a world-class player and mentioned the board’s desire to see him excel without the added burden of captaincy.
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Alongside these changes, the PCB has also announced a shuffle in the coaching staff, including the reassignment of Director Cricket Mickey Arthur. The entire coaching staff will continue to work in the National Cricket Academy, and the PCB will soon unveil the new coaching staff for the upcoming series in Australia and New Zealand