“Always tried to keep Shaheen away from captaincy,” claims Shahid Afridi

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain and star all-rounder Shahid Afridi once again opened up on Shaheen Shah Afridi’s removal as T20I captain, stating that he always tried to keep the pacer away from the role.

“I want Shaheen to focus on his own cricket,” stated Afridi, adding that the pacer did not need his advice against accepting captaincy of Lahore Qalandars.

“I always tried to keep Shaheen away from captaincy,” Afridi added.

The former captain then backed his statement with a claim that many former captains, including himself had a dismal end to their reigns.

Earlier this week, Shahid Afridi revealed that he was surprised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decision to change a captain ahead of the T20 World Cup.

He also backed wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan to be the best choice for the role.

“I am surprised by the decision by very experienced cricketers in the selection committee. I still believe that if change was necessary than Rizwan was the best choice!,” said Afridi in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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However, he said, that he extended full support to Babar Azam after his reappointment as the white-ball captain.

“Since now the decision has been made I offer my full support and best wishes to team Pakistan and Babar Azam,” Shahid Afridi added.

Notably, Babar Azam’s first assignment during his second tenure as Pakistan captain will be a five-match home T20I series against New Zealand, commencing on April 18 in Rawalpindi.

The star batter had previously led Pakistan in white-ball cricket from 2019 to 2023 before stepping down following the team’s dismal performance in the ICC World Cup 2023.

READ: Shan Masood comments on Babar replacing Shaheen as T20I captain