Shaheen Afridi was relieved of his captaincy in T20I by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it was rather quick that has provided food for thought to former Pakistan wicketkeeper Moin Khan. The 52 year old came down heavily on this stating no one is as capable as Shaheen to lead the national team in the shortest format of the game.
Shaheen’s Brief Stint as T20I Captain
After Babar Azam resigned from Pakistan’s white-ball leadership after the 2023 ODI World Cup, PCB made Shaheen the captain of T20I team. However, the left-arm pacer had experience as a captain by the time he led the side in one series only to have the board bring Babar back for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Moin said that it was unfair to replace Shaheen as a captain and added that the right-arm fast bowler has been poor ever since.
“Shaheen Afridi has the ability to lead the team and is highly liked by the players. He is an excellent choice for captaincy in T20s. In white-ball cricket, I don’t see anyone else suitable for the role. Removing him from the captaincy was unjust. He is one of the best T20 players, and I’ve noticed his performance has slightly declined since he was removed from the captaincy,” he told CricketPakistan.pk.
Shaheen’s Captaincy Controversy
He ‘also emphasised for PCB to appoint a captain on permanent basis and he even pointed towards Rizwan.
“A single captain can be appointed for all formats of cricket, but it’s crucial for any player to perform across all formats to achieve this. Whoever becomes captain should have the responsibility for a long term. There is no doubt about Mohammad Rizwan’s abilities; any criticism against him might be due to his age,” he added.
Leadership Crises in Pakistan Cricket
Cricket pundits will have tarnished Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 under the leadership of Babar Azam and revealed that he could be deprived of the white-ball leadership again. However, Mohammad Yousuf’s reign as the Test skipper started on a wrong tempo after losing his first five matches as captain of the team and so is Shan Masood.
Before the year 2025 champions trophy, Moin Khan told BCCI to avoid meddling in cricket politics and come to Pakistan for the tournament. He expects the India-Pakistan cricket series will help a lot in boosting cricket.
“In my view, Indian cricket legends should advise the BCCI to keep sports separate from politics. Fans worldwide want India and Pakistan to play, benefiting not just Pakistan but the sport as a whole. India must honor ICC commitments, and if they don’t, Pakistan should also consider taking a stand by not participating in future tournaments in India,” he said in the same interaction.