3 reasons why Pakistan replacing Babar Azam with Shaheen Afridi as captain in T20s is a wrong move

Pakistan have named Shaheen Afridi their new T20I skipper after Babar Azam stepped down from his roles in all three formats. Azam's captaincy came under scrutiny during the Asia Cup and then in the World Cup as Pakistan failed to make further progress in either of the competitions.

Azam announced his decision on Wednesday, shortly after meeting Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Interim Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf. PCB wanted Azam to continue as the Test captain but after discussing with his family, the 29-year-old decided to step down from all formats.

In the statement shared on his X handle (formerly Twitter), Azam said it was an absolute honour to lead Pakistan for four years and felt that it was the right time to step down. Azam was made the T20 captain in 2019 before being handed over the reins in ODIs and Tests in 2020.

"I vividly remember the moment when I received the call from PCB to lead Pakistan in 2019. Over the past four years, I’ve experienced many highs and lows on and off the field but I wholeheartedly and passionately aimed to maintain Pakistan’s pride and respect in the cricket world," Babar Azam wrote.

Shaheen Afridi, who has emerged as Pakistan's premier fast bowler, was excited about the prospect of leading Pakistan in the shortest format. He thanked his fans and the PCB for entrusting him with the opportunity to lead the side.

" I am honoured and thrilled to lead our national T20 cricket team. Thank you to the Pakistan cricket board and fans for their trust and support. I'll give my best to uphold the team spirit and bring glory to our nation on the cricket field. Our success lies in unity, trust and relentless effort. We are not just a team; we are a brotherhood, a family. Together, we rise!," Shaheen Afridi wrote on his Twitter handle.

While there is no denying the fact that both Azam and Afridi are integral part of the Pakistan set-up, only time will tell whether it was the correct move to hand over the captaincy to someone as young as 23-years-old. Pakistan's next T20 assignment will be in New Zealand when they square off in a five-match series starting January 12.

That said, let us decipher three reasons why the selection of Shaheen Afridi as the T20 captain is a wrong move:

# 1 Shaheen Afridi could end up making the same mistakes that Babar Azam did

Rather than changing the captaincy, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should have had a discussion with Babar Azam and tried to persuade him to adopt a different template and take some pointers from teams like England and India, who totally transformed their style of play after morale shattering losses in ICC events.

Changing the captaincy might not be the best decision as Shaheen Afridi could also end up making the same mistakes. A captain is as good as his team and the players have to respond to their call.

Moreover, it was under Azam's captaincy that Pakistan dominated the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE before losing in the semi-final. They even reached the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup.

# 2 Shaheen Afridi is a youngster and the captaincy load might affect his bowling

Not many would have dreamt of leading the national side at such a young age, but Shaheen Afridi will realise the dream in a couple of months time. Having made his debut way back in 2018, Shaheen has got enough experience with the national team.

However, he is still a young turk and captaining the team might not bring the best out of him. He has been a lethal new ball bowler but was totally off-colour during the World Cup.

Hence giving someone the captaincy duties when he hasn't been in the greatest of form with the white ball could fluster him and the performances might not be as consistent as we have seen with him.

# 3 Shaheen Afridi has a history of injuries

The Shaheen Afridi of 2021 where he almost single-handedly blew the Indians away in the T20 World Cup hasn't been the same lethal Shaheen Afridi in the last year or so. His pace has dropped significantly which has been his undoing, especially with the new ball.

While Afridi had a successful World Cup, bagging 18 wickets in 9 games, only three of them came with the new ball. The knee injury that he sustained in Sri Lanka back in 2022 might be the reason why he hasn't managed to bowl full throttle.

It's never easy for a team to gel under a leader who might not be at his full fitness or keeps injuring himself. Shaheen Afridi who felt honoured to get an opportunity to lead Pakistan might end up proving us wrong, but certainly, this move might backfire for Pakistan.