Former captain Shahid Khan Afridi has expressed his concerns about the abrupt removal of Pakistan’s T20 captain Shaheen Shah Afridi by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the decision to reinstate Babar Azam as the skipper ahead of the T20 World Cup in June.
Mohsin Naqvi led PCB’s erratic and haphazard decisions, which have raised a lot of eyebrows recently but it seems they had decided to re-appoint Babar Azam for a long time and his return was pre-planned.
Shahid Afridi expressed his concerns but backed Babar Azam nevertheless, stating on X formerly known as Twitter, “I am surprised by the decision by very experienced cricketers in the selection committee. I still believe that if change was necessary then Rizwan was the best choice! But since now the decision has been made I offer my full support and best wishes to team Pakistan and Babar Azam.”
I am surprised by the decision by very experienced cricketers in the selection committee. I still believe that if change was necessary than Rizwan was the best choice! But since now the decision has been made I offer my full support and best wishes to team Pakistan and Babar…
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) March 31, 2024
Last week in a press conference PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi hinted towards a change in the leadership of Pakistan’s white-ball side before the World Cup and this move was on the cards but the fans did not expect the return of Babar Azam at the helm as Muhammad Rizwan was a primary candidate for captaincy a few weeks ago.
Afridi’s tweet suggests that the Board’s decision to show their faith once again in Babar Azam on top of reinstating Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir in the team can disrupt dressing room harmony as well as instability in the ranks.
PCB’s chop-and-change approach seems sporadic and certainly it’s time for stability and continuity in the ranks which the fans of Pakistan cricket have not seen since Ramiz Raja at the helm.
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