"If someone can amp up Pakistan cricket and take it in the right direction, that is Shaheen Shah Afridi" - Aaqib Javed

Former Pakistan seamer Aaqib Javed reckons Shaheen Shah Afridi has the potential to steer the national team in the right direction. Javed also wants the left-arm paceman to lead the Men in Green in T20 cricket.

Shaheen's captaincy credentials have enhanced after he led the Lahore Qalandars to successive Pakistan Super League titles. During the Qalandars' successful PSL campaigns, the 22-year-old has also performed with the ball.

He took 19 wickets in 12 games in the 2022-23 edition, followed by 20 scalps in 13 matches in the season before that.

Speaking to a local news channel, Javed feels Afridi has proved himself as an adept leader in the PSL. The former cricketer feels the left-arm pacer can bring the aggressiveness to their T20 approach that other captains haven't. He said:

"Shaheen Afridi did what none of the captains in PSL did so far. He won back-to-back PSL titles. The way he carries the team and his style of working. Regarding Pakistan cricket, the way they play, and curating dead pitches - we can see perhaps a defensive mindset.

"Even if you bring Shadab [Khan], regardless of the format, I don't see any variations or changes - particularly aggressive change. Or if you bring in [Mohammad] Rizwan, there won't be any apparent culture change.

"If someone can amp up Pakistan cricket and take it in the right direction, that is Shaheen Shah Afridi."

While Babar Azam is Pakistan's most successful T20I captain with 40 wins in 66 games, he failed to win the home series against England in September last year. The Men in Green then rested most of their senior players rested for the three-game T20 series against Afghanistan.

All-rounder Shadab Khan captained the side, but suffered a 2-1 series loss.

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"Babar should stay as captain in Test and one-day formats" - Aaqib Javed

Babar Azam. (Image Credits: Getty)

Javed further stated that Babar Azam should continue to lead Pakistan in ODIs and Tests. He added that Babar should hand over the T20I reigns to Shaheen Afridi, keeping the 2024 T20 World Cup in mind, and explained:

"I'll talk from a pure cricketing perspective. Babar should stay as captain in Test and one-day formats. Now that we don't have a lot of T20 cricket in then near future. Shaheen should lead the national side as a captain, keeping the World Cup in prospect.

"Even during that time, we might have one more PSL underway. Shaheen's approach is positive, and he plays fearless cricket. I think he should lead the T20 side as the captain. And Babar should continue in the tests and ODI sides."

Babar and Co. are currently gearing up for their five-game T20I series against New Zealand, beginning on April 14 in Lahore.