Pakistan’s gun pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi shared that it was the encouragement and advice from former Pakistan captain Imran Khan that inspired him to embrace the leadership role within the Lahore Qalandars franchise in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Prior to this, Shaheen Shah Afridi had not entertained the idea of taking on captaincy responsibilities.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was appointed captain of the Lahore Qalandars in December 2021, and under his leadership, the franchise secured consecutive title victories. In 2022, he made history as the youngest captain to clinch a T20 league title. Additionally, Afridi topped the bowling charts in the 2022 edition, claiming 20 wickets in 13 matches at an impressive average of 19.70 and an economy rate of 7.57.
You can never say no to Imran bhai- Shaheen Shah Afridi
In an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, Shaheen Shah Afridi shared that despite lacking prior captaincy experience, he found it challenging to turn down Imran Khan’s recommendation, which ultimately led him to accept the role.
“I have not captained at any age level, really, maybe once at Under-19 level. I never even had an interest in captaincy. But then in 2021, I was sitting in the PM office with Sameen bhai [Lahore Qalandars owner] and Aqib Javed and Imran Khan [then Pakistan Prime Minister] suggested that I be appointed captain,”
Obviously, you can never say no to Imran bhai. After that I became captain of Lahore. I was vice-captain, but when Imran bhai said I should be captain, that’s when the change happened,” he added.
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s tenure as captain in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earned him the captaincy role in Pakistan’s T20 International team as well. Unfortunately, his first series in charge against New Zealand ended in disappointment as Pakistan lost the five-match T20I series 1-4.
I thanked him at the time for showing faith in me- Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi expressed his gratitude to Imran Khan after leading the Lahore Qalandars to victory in 2022, stating:
“When we won the title in 2022, I went to meet Imran [Khan] bhai and told him ‘at least we’ve now won one title!’ And I thanked him at the time for showing faith in me. That’s when my captaincy started, until then I had no interest,”
“Imran said most great fast bowlers have been captains because fast bowlers have the authority to set fields and they understand other fast bowlers, concerning what they need and what they’re going through,” he added.
The 9th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to kick off on February 17th, with the Lahore Qalandars taking on Islamabad United in the opening match.
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