Shahid Afridi: “Shadab Khan is a very good captain, I would choose him as a captain”
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Legendary Pakistan big-hitter Shahid Afridi said he would choose spinner Shadab Khan as captain as he is a “very good” option for the role.
Shadab was appointed as Pakistan’s T20I vice-captain prior to the tour of New Zealand.
Many feel that the 26-year-old has all the qualities needed to excel as captain, especially considering the amount of success he has had while leading Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Afridi, who has been vocal about players given the captaincy in the past, insisted that Shadab is the right choice and should be given a chance to lead the men in green.
“Shadab Khan is a very good captain, I would choose him as a captain,” he was quoted as saying by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In this year’s PSL, Shadab captained Islamabad United and picked up 14 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 16.57 and an economy rate of 7.90.
He also had an impact with the bat, amassing 173 runs at an average of 24.71 and a strike-rate of 155.85.
After PSL 10 concluded, the Mianwali native featured in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh and claimed four wickets at an average of 16.25 and an economy rate of 7.22.
Batting-wise, he made 55 runs at an average of 27.50 and a strike-rate of 157.14.
Pakistan then embarked on a tour of Bangladesh, where they played three T20Is, but Shadab missed it after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder.
He also didn’t take part in the limited overs series against the West Indies, which saw the men in green win the T20Is 2-1 but lose the ODIs 2-1.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan Squad for West Indies ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem