Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi believes that Mohammad Rizwan was the “best choice” as T20I captain of the national team ahead of Babar Azam, who replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi in the role on Sunday (March 31).
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reappointed star batter Babar as their white-ball captain, two months before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which will start on June 1 in the West Indies/USA.
Following the announcement, Afridi said he was surprised with PCB’s decision but is ready to offer his full support to the team and the newly appointed skipper.
“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 Azam,” Afridi wrote on X.
Babar had stepped down from captaincy in all formats after the conclusion of the ODI World Cup, leading to Shan Masood and Shaheen taking over the roles in Test and T20 format.
While Masood led the side in Australia, Afridi had only led Pakistan in a single T20I series against New Zealand after being appointed as the skipper, and in his debut series, Pakistan lost 1-4.
In addition to the series loss, Afridi’s potential to lead came under scrutiny even further after his captaincy at Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which was held earlier this year.
Two-time champions Lahore Qalandars finished at the bottom of the table under his captaincy with just one win in 10 matches. Babar’s Peshawar Zalmi reached as far as the second qualifier, while Rizwan’s Multan Sultans reached the final for the third successive season.
Now, Babar will make his return to captaincy, starting with the upcoming five-match home T20I series against New Zealand from April 18. With the T20 World Cup just two months away, Pakistan will look to prepare for the marquee event under Babar’s leadership.
Pakistan is in Group A of the T20 World Cup 2024, where they will meet India, Ireland, Canada and the USA. The highly-anticipated clash against arch-rivals India will take place in New York on June 9.
