Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made new headlines on Tuesday after they announced the squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, in which they have rested Babar Azam and star pacer Shaheen Afridi. In the absence of Babar, vice-captain Shadab Khan will be playing the role of the skipper. As the announcement received a mixed response from fans and experts. Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi said that he is happy with Shadab’s appointment and never wanted Shaheen to lead the national side.
“I am not even remotely related to the cricket board. I suggested Shaheen not to take up franchise captaincy either in PSL, let alone national team’s captaincy,” Cricket Pakistan quoted Afridi as saying.
“Secondly, the decision taken by the board is wise and suits well according to seniority. In the absence of Babar, the role befittingly goes to Shadab, as he’s been serving as vice-captain for quite a while now. I am well pleased with the decision,” he added.
Earlier, Pakistan legend Rashid Latif gave a harsh statement and brutally attacked the board for sidelining Babar and Shaheen from the T20 squad for the series.
“Our players are featuring in ICC rankings and winning awards after a long time. Babar and Shaheen won ICC awards. They [PCB] couldn’t digest it. They said we won’t let it happen and now we are here and will take decisions. Those who never took rest and are 70 or 80-year-old and need to rest, are now deciding the fate of Pakistan cricket. You can say rest in peace Pakistan team. Our team is now rest in peace,” Latif had said, as per Cricket Pakistan.
“When you bring new players, you break a team combination. Some new players, who are selected, will perform in the Afghanistan series, so will they bring back the senior players back with lesser strike rate. Media will also put pressure on them. This is the first step towards destroying Pakistan team,” he further said, explaining his point.
Pakistan Squad: Shadab Khan (C), Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan.
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