Shahid Afridi: “I still believe that if change was necessary than Rizwan was the best choice! But since now the decision has been made I offer my full support and best wishes to team Pakistan and Babar Azam”
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Legendary Pakistan six-hitter Shahid Afridi believes Babar Azam was not the best choice to replace Shaheen Shah Afridi as T20I captain as he would have given the leadership role to Mohammad Rizwan.
Shaheen replaced Azam as T20I skipper after the latter stepped down as captain in all three formats following the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
However, the 25-year-old’s tenure only lasted one series, which consisted of five T20Is against New Zealand in January 2024.
Even though the men in green lost that series 4-1, many believed Shaheen would continue on as T20I captain, especially with the 2024 T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in the West Indies and United States of America in June.
However, it was not to be and shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), Azam was back at the helm as T20I skipper at the expense of Shaheen.
Shahid was stunned by the decision taken to remove Shaheen as captain, but felt that it was a mistake to give the reins back to Azam as he thought Rizwan would have been the ideal choice for the role.
“I am surprised by the decision by very experienced cricketers in the selection committee. I still believe that if change was necessary than Rizwan was the best choice! But since now the decision has been made I offer my full support and best wishes to team Pakistan and Babar Azam,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It should be noted that Azam captained the Peshawar Zalmi during the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Shaheen and Rizwan were in charge of the Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans respectively.
Azam’s first assignment since being re-appointed as captain will be Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which will take place in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 9: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen, Haris Rauf, David Wiese, Sahibzada Farhan, Sikandar Raza, Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Imran, Ahsan Hafeez, Dan Lawrence, Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun, Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Tayyab Abbas
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufiyan Muqeem, Waqar Salamkheil, Arshad Iqbal, Gus Atkinson, Shamar Joseph
Multan Sultans Squad for PSL 9: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Iftikhar Ahmed, David Willey, Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir, Dawid Malan, Abbas Afridi, Reeza Hendricks, Tayyab Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Khan, Mohammad Ali, Faisal Akram, Yasir Khan, Chris Jordan, Aftab Ibrahim, Johnson Charles, Mohammad Shehzad