"I have nothing to do with that" - Shahid Afridi denies lobbying for Shaheen Afridi's captaincy  

Pakistan's pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi was handed the T20I captaincy of the Men in Green on Wednesday, November 15. The decision came after Babar Azam relinquished leadership across formats.

Speculations were rife that Shaheen's father-in-law Shahid Afridi used his influence to ensure that the speedster got Pakistan's captaincy. Denying those allegations, the former skipper clarified that he had nothing to do with Shaheen's appointment.

During a discussion on Samaa TV, Shahid Afridi said:

"Shaheen as captain is entirely Mohammad Hafeez’s and the PCB chairman’s decision. I have nothing to do with that. I never lobbied for Shaheen's captaincy. In fact, I have always wanted to keep Shaheen away from the captaincy."

Shahid Afridi mentioned that he never wanted Shaheen Afridi to take up captaincy because he himself experienced how a skipper has to face the brunt of anything that goes wrong within the team.

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"Wanted Mohammad Rizwan to be the white-ball captain" - Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi further revealed that he urged Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf to persist with Babar Azam as the captain of the Test side.

He opined that wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan would have been a wonderful choice for white-ball captaincy. Afridi added:

"I was never in favour of Babar Azam's removal. I also told the PCB chairman that he should not remove Babar from the captaincy. I wanted Mohammad Rizwan to be the white-ball captain and Babar to be the captain of the Test team."

Apart from naming Shaheen Afridi as the new T20I captain, the PCB also appointed senior batter Shan Masood as Babar's replacement in Tests.

Babar came under the scanner during the 2023 World Cup in India. Pakistan failed to perform consistently in the showpiece event, managing to win just four of their nine matches. They ultimately suffered a group-stage exit, finishing fifth in the points table.