Rashid Latif: “People are running a campaign to have him be the captain of the T20I team instead of ODIs. He doesn’t even deserve a place”
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Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif doesn’t want Shaheen Shah Afridi to be appointed T20I captain and believes the left-arm seamer shouldn’t even be in the squad.
Afridi currently leads the men in green in ODIs, but with Salman Ali Agha’s future as T20I skipper unclear, there is a possibility the 26-year-old could be among the frontrunners should Pakistan decide to make a change in leadership.
If Salman were to be removed as captain, Latif feels someone else should take charge of the team, but that someone should not be Afridi.
“Now everyone is saying that Shaheen should not be the ODI captain. He shouldn’t even be in the T20I team. People are now saying that he should become the captain of the T20I side after the World Cup debacle,” Latif was quoted as saying by NDTV.
“Yes, he should have been earlier, but now he doesn’t deserve a place in the T20I team. People are running a campaign to have him be the captain of the T20I team instead of ODIs. He doesn’t even deserve a place. Now, the time is over.”
Afridi was dropped for Pakistan’s two-Test series against the West Indies, which concluded as a 1-1 draw.
He also wasn’t selected for the ongoing three-Test series against England, where Pakistan find themselves trailing 2-0.
The 2nd Test between the two sides will get underway on September 9 in Birmingham.
Pakistan Squad for 3rd Test against England in Birmingham: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper) Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Ubaid Shah