Shahid Afridi: “I am the only person who keeps Shaheen away from the captaincy”
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Former Pakistan big-hitting all-rounder Shahid Afridi has denied pushing left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi to replace Babar Azam as captain.
Azam’s future as captain has come into the spotlight again since the men in green have underperformed in the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
It should be noted that Shaheen is married to Shahid’s daughter and is seen as a potential future captain, especially given the success he has had leading the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
However, Shahid insisted that he never encouraged the pace spearhead to go after Azam’s job.
“I was scrolling through my Twitter, and I saw that now they’re running something with my name that Shahid Afridi stated, in my opinion, Shaheen Afridi can lead the team better than Babar Azam, Lahore Qalandars won a PSL trophy under his captaincy,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“I don’t understand why they are saying such things, even though I express my views on Samaa. I share my perspective on Samaa, but they interpret it in their own way. Although I am the only person who keeps Shaheen away from the captaincy.”
Both Azam and Shaheen are playing in the World Cup, with the Pakistan skipper having scored 157 runs in five matches, which includes two fifties, at an average of 31.40.
Afridi, meanwhile, has taken 10 wickets in five games, which includes a five-for against Australia, at an average of 25.10.
The men in green started the tournament with consecutive wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing four straight to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Pakistan will be looking to get their campaign back on track when they take on Bangladesh on October 31 in Kolkata.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali
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