Babar Azam on Shaheen Shah Afridi: “I’ve only returned to [the] captaincy just because of this World Cup. Shaheen isn’t disappointed at all, as he was consulted by the PCB before the decision”
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Pakistan limited overs captain Babar Azam has made it abundantly clear that left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi “isn’t disappointed at all” that he lost the leadership role.
When Azam stepped down as captain in all three formats in November 2023, Afridi was appointed as T20I skipper.
However, his tenure only lasted one series as Azam subsequently returned as Pakistan’s white-ball captain in March 2024.
While there has been plenty of speculation about friction between Azam and Afridi, the 29-year-old reiterated that this is not true at all.
Azam also played down rumours of bad blood between Afridi and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), saying that the board spoke to the 24-year-old before naming him captain once again.
“I’ve only returned to [the] captaincy just because of this World Cup. Shaheen isn’t disappointed at all, as he was consulted by the PCB before the decision,” he was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The men in green haven’t been in the best form going into the 2024 T20 World Cup as they drew 2-2 with New Zealand in a five-match T20I series.
They then beat Ireland 2-1 in a three-match T20I series before playing a four-match T20I series against England, which they lost 2-0.
Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup game will be against the United States of America in Dallas on June 6.
Pakistan Squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
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