Pakistan: Pakistan’s T20I captain, Shaheen Afridi, is reportedly considering stepping down from his role due to his dissatisfaction with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the handling of the captaincy issue. Afridi is said to be upset that neither PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi nor the national selectors have discussed their future plans with him regarding the captaincy or the appointment of coaches.
A source close to Afridi revealed that he feels disappointed and left out of discussions, especially after learning that PCB officials met with national selectors and Babar Azam to discuss the T20 World Cup, coaching appointments, and captaincy without involving him. Afridi believes that if the board wants to replace him, they should inform him and provide reasons for their decision.
Afridi was appointed T20 captain after the World Cup in India last November, under the leadership of Zaka Ashraf, then chairman of the PCB. His appointment was based on his successful leadership of the Lahore Qalandars franchise in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he led the team to two consecutive titles.
However, Afridi’s captaincy has faced criticism following Pakistan’s 1-4 loss in the T20 series against New Zealand and Lahore Qalandars’ poor performance in the recent PSL season, finishing at the bottom of the table.
Afridi, currently training at the Kakul camp under Army supervision, is expected to have discussions with senior players, including Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, and Fakhar Zaman, before making a final decision on his captaincy.
