Shan Masood comments on Babar Azam replacing Shaheen Afridi as T20I captain

Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood recently shared his thoughts on Babar Azam replacing Shaheen Afridi as T20I captain.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday reinstated Babar Azam as the white-ball captain of the national team ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be played in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

PCB officially announced Babar Azam’s appointment as captain on their social media accounts.

“Babar Azam appointed as white-ball captain. Following unanimous recommendation from the PCB’s selection committee, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team,” the PCB posted.

Shan Masood believes that the new management took the decision with a plan involving the workload management of Shaheen Afridi.

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“There’s a new set-up that’s come in, a new selection committee, and you always have a plan,” stated Masood.

“And they saw a certain plan and we saw through the explanation that they probably want Shaheen Afridi to be rested as well. Because we lost Naseem Shah last year just before the World Cup which proved to be very costly to Pakistan,” he added.

The left-handed batter also emphasized the need for team unity despite the changes in leadership.

“I think for us as players we’ve got a common goal of making sure the Pakistan team does well. Whoever is leading it, everyone is behind them and ready to put in a good shift for them,” he added.

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

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