Shaheen Shah Afridi, two-time PSL-winning captain, has the chance to become the most successful skipper this season if he wins a third title.
Talking to an international media platform, Afridi said, “I have not captained at any age level, really, maybe once at Under-19 level. I never even had an interest in captaincy. But then in 2021, I was sitting in the PM office with Sameen bhai (Lahore Qalandars owner) and Aqib Javed, and Imran Khan (then Pakistan Prime Minister) suggested that I be appointed captain. Obviously, you can never say no to Imran bhai. After that I became captain of Lahore. I was vice-captain, but when Imran bhai said I should be captain, that’s when the change happened.”
Things started to move in a positive direction after Afridi’s leadership appointment. They won the PSL back-to-back, in 2022 and 2023.
Afridi credited Khan, saying, “When we won the title in 2022, I went to meet Imran bhai and told him ‘at least we’ve now won one title!’ And I thanked him at the time for showing faith in me. That’s when my captaincy started, until then I had no interest. Imran said most great fast bowlers have been captains because fast bowlers have the authority to set fields and they understand other fast bowlers, concerning what they need and what they’re going through. Those few nuggets of wisdom from him were very valuable to me, and I’d like to give him full credit for it.”
When asked about a third PSL title, Afridi reiterated, “We’ve won twice, so winning a third – why not?”
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so eventually you will not become generals tout and a dharna party owner please?