Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has once again sparked controversy regarding the sudden removal of fast bowler Shaheen Afridi as captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Afridi expressed frustration over Babar Azam’s reinstatement as captain earlier this year, particularly as Shaheen’s tenure was cut short after just one series.
Afridi voiced disappointment with the PCB’s decision to strip Shaheen of the captaincy following a series of underwhelming performances in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. It’s worth noting that Babar was relieved of his duties as Pakistan captain following their disappointing campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, leading to Afridi being appointed as the new captain of the white-ball team.
Shahid Afridi has publicly criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board’s treatment of Shaheen Shah Afridi. The newly-appointed PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, opted not to support Afridi’s captaincy following Pakistan’s loss in the T20I series. Instead, Naqvi reinstated Babar Azam as the white-ball captain earlier this year, sparking tension between key players of the team.
Afridi, who is Shaheen’s father-in-law, strongly opposed the decision to replace Shaheen with Babar as Pakistan’s white-ball captain. He questioned the PCB’s lack of confidence in Shaheen’s leadership skills and argued that Shaheen should have been given a longer opportunity to showcase his capabilities. Many former cricketers echoed Afridi’s sentiments, criticizing the PCB’s decision.
Following Pakistan’s defeats to India and the USA in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, Afridi expressed his frustration with Babar. He suggested that Babar could have demonstrated more integrity by supporting Shaheen’s leadership instead of accepting the captaincy again after being sacked.
Shahid Afridi: Respect for Babar Azam would have grown had he taken a stand for Shaheen Afridi
Shahid Afridi said on Samaa TV’s show: “Har insaan ki apni soch hai. Mai isko iss tarah leta hu ke meri nazar mei, duniya ki nazar mei, Babar Azam ki izzat aur zyad upar ho jaati agar woh ye stand leta apne player ke liye ki ‘main Shaheen ki kaptaani mei khelna chahta hu…Shaheen ko agar bana diya kaptaan toh ye galat tareeqa hai ke aap usko fauran kaptaani se hata dein’ (Everyone has his own opinion. How I see it is that in my eyes and the eyes of the world, respect for Babar would have grown had he said at the time that he will play under Shaheen’s captaincy and that it was wrong to remove Shaheen as captain so early).”
Afridi also pointed out the detrimental effects of factionalism within the Pakistan team, highlighting its negative implications on the captain’s leadership and signaling a lack of camaraderie among players. He criticized Babar for consistently shifting blame onto the bowlers after losses instead of shouldering responsibility for the team’s overall performance as both captain and batsman.
According to Afridi, robust leadership serves as a bulwark against internal divisions within the team and fosters a sense of unity. He remarked, “If a captain possesses strong character, reports of factionalism within the team would never surface.” It’s worth noting that Pakistan returned to winning form with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Canada in their third Group A match of the tournament.
