Fakhar Zaman: “Our prayers and hopes are that the mindset he has brought to Lahore Qalandars for the past two years, he does the same for Pakistan”
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Opening batsman Fakhar Zaman hopes Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi can lead Pakistan to many victories when leading the national team in T20Is.
Afridi was appointed T20I captain after Babar Azam stepped down as skipper in all three formats following the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
The 23-year-old will make his captaincy debut in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which begins on January 12 in Auckland.
Having seen Afridi lead the Qalandars to Pakistan Super League (PSL) glory in 2022 and 2023, Zaman is eager for the left-arm fast bowler to enjoy the same amount of success with the men in green.
“Our prayers and hopes are that the mindset he has brought to Lahore Qalandars for the past two years, he does the same for Pakistan. He takes everyone along with him, and his fearless attitude as a captain, are qualities that one should look for in a leader,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
Afridi is now in action for Pakistan in their three-match Test series against Australia and has taken eight wickets in the first two Tests at an average of 41.62.
Pakistan are 2-0 down in the series and will look to claim a consolation win in the third Test, which starts on January 3 in Sydney.
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, Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan
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