Aaqib Javed: “Shaheen is the best bet for the future of Pakistan cricket. Babar failed to prove himself as an able captain in [the] white-ball formats”
Image courtesy of: Unsplash
Lahore Qalanadars head coach Aaqib Javed believes left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi “is the best bet for the future of Pakistan cricket” and should therefore be appointed ODI captain.
Afridi has already been named T20I skipper after Babar Azam resigned as captain in all three formats following Pakistan’s elimination from the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Top order batsman Shan Masood succeeded Azam as Test skipper.
With the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) still yet to announce the new ODI captain, Aaqib firmly feels Afridi is the best man for the job.
“Shaheen is the best bet for the future of Pakistan cricket,” he was quoted as saying by PTI, according to NDTV. “Babar failed to prove himself as an able captain in [the] white-ball formats.”
Pakistan won their first two World Cup games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before succumbing to defeats at the hands of India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they fought back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they failed to make it to the semi-finals.
Afridi will now feature in Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia, which starts on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi