Reports of conflicts came out of the Pakistan Cricket team camp involving Shaheen Shah Afridi after Babar Azam was announced the new captain by PCB.
On Sunday, PCB announced Babar Azam as the new captain. Babar returned to a captaincy within a few months after Shaheen Shah Afridi took the reign of the team from him. Afridi was announced the new captain shortly after the conclusion of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup after Pakistan’s poor performance.
Soon after the decision, statements from both Shaheen Shah Afridi and Babar Azam circulated on social media. Tension rose when Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed that PCB released the statement on his behalf without informing him. He added that he did not release these statements. The statement given by PCB read Afridi had “nothing but respect” for the returning skipper. “I will try to help him on and off the field. We are all one,” Afridi was quoted as saying.
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Afridi expressed furor for releasing the statement without informing him. A close source to Shaheen Shah Afridi revealed that the cricketer was preparing to give his statement to the media when PCB stopped him.
PCB is now trying to engage with Shaheen Shah Afridi to calm down his furor. Shaheen was expected to meet Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi today at Kakul. The meeting, however, could not happen as Naqvi had to leave for the meeting.
Fast Bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi had led the team with a loss of 4-1 against New Zealand in January this year.
Afridi led Lahore Qalandars in the recently concluded T20 Pakistan Super League, where they ended up at the bottom of the table. Pakistan’s upcoming matches include a five-match T20 series against New Zealand at home, followed by fixtures in Ireland and England. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in June in the United States and the West Indies.