Zaka Ashraf: “He (Shahid Afridi) didn’t give me any such suggestion”
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Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has confirmed that legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi didn’t tell him to pick wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan as T20I captain.
Shaheen Shah Afridi had been appointed to the position after Babar Azam stepped down from the leadership role in all three formats in November 2023.
However, the 24-year-old only got to lead in one series, which consisted of five T20Is against New Zealand in January 2024.
Shortly after, Azam returned as Pakistan’s limited overs captain, even though Shahid felt that Rizwan would have been a better choice as T20I skipper.
While Shahid voiced his opinion about who should lead the T20I team, Ashraf reiterated that the iconic power-hitter never explicitly told him to give the role to Rizwan.
“He (Shahid Afridi) didn’t give me any such suggestion,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Rizwan recently captained the Multan Sultans in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and finished as the third-highest run-scorer with 407 runs in 12 matches, which included four fifties, at an average of 33.91 and a strike-rate of 122.22.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which will be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan
Non-travelling reserves: Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha