Image Credit- AFP
In recent months, the Pakistani cricket team’s captaincy change has generated a lot of discussion. Following the conclusion of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar Azam resigned from his position as Pakistan’s captain for all formats. Following him, Shan Masood assumed leadership of Test cricket, and Shaheen Afridi was named captain of T20Is. Just before the 2024 T20 World Cup, Pakistan lost 4-1 to New Zealand under Shaheen’s leadership. As a result, the pacer lost his position and Babar was named white-ball captain once again.
Moin Khan, a former wicketkeeper-batter from Pakistan who also played for the squad that won the 1992 ODI World Cup, stated that Shaheen should have been given more time and that it was “unjust” to remove him as T20I captain.
“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. How can you expect good performance if you don’t give players confidence? They should be given some time as captain,” Moin told Cricket Pakistan.
Some media reports have claimed that Babar Azam could be replaced by Mohammad Rizwan as white-ball captain of Pakistan.
“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. It’s also important to consider how long he can represent the team if given leadership. Mohammad Rizwan could be a great short-term captain, but you would need to groom a young cricketer to take over in the future. We often appoint captains but fail to prepare a suitable deputy,” Moin added.