Aaqib Javed: “If someone can amp up Pakistan cricket and take it in the right direction, that is Shaheen Shah Afridi”
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Aaqib Javed, the Lahore Qalandars head coach, said left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi is the right man to captain Pakistan as he will lead the national team “in the right direction”.
The 23-year-old has leadership experience as he captained the Qalandars to two successive titles in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2022 and 2023.
Currently, however, Babar Azam leads Pakistan in all three formats and seems to have the backing of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
However, there have been rumours and speculation about a potential split captaincy model being adopted due to the national team’s disappointing home season.
While no firm action has been taken, Aaqib believes that Afridi can bring some life back into the Pakistan team,
“If someone can amp up Pakistan cricket and take it in the right direction, that is Shaheen Shah Afridi,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan are now facing Sri Lanka in a two-Test series and lead 1-0 after winning the first Test in Galle by four wickets.
The second Test will begin on July 24 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series:Â Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood
Aqib Javed is responsible for creating rift in the team. He wants Shaheen Shah Afridi to captain national team on the basis of Shaheen’s two-times experience of PSL captaincy. This is totally rubbish. He’s going too far in the personal enmity with Babar Azam.