Pakistan’s star left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi addressed reports that Babar Azam would become the team’s captain ahead of the upcoming edition of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027. The Pakistan ODI captain addressed concerns about the leadership of the senior side in the 50-over format on the eve of Pakistan’s National Champions Cup 2026. “For now, I am the captain,” Afridi said in the joint press conference.
Babar is currently the captain of Pakistan’s Test squad. In the just-finished 1-1 Test series against the West Indies, he took Shan Masood’s place. In October 2025, Afridi was appointed as Pakistan’s ODI captain. After the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 group stage defeat, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lost faith in Mohammad Rizwan as ODI captain.
Babar Took Over T20I Captaincy From Afridi Once
Azam has already taken the captaincy from Afridi once before, which is the big reason behind these speculations. replaced Afridi as T20I captain after the series loss during the New Zealand tour prior to the 2024 T20 in the USA and the West Indies.
Pakistan has won seven of the 11 ODIs under Afridi’s leadership. Bangladesh had defeated Pakistan in the ODI series earlier this year. But when they got back home, they defeated a weak Australian squad in the ODI series.
Afridi was just left off Pakistan’s Test squad. In seven games during the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026, he claimed nine wickets.
Afridi believes that the National Champions Cup will assist Pakistan in bolstering their bench, particularly in light of the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Whenever we go to a World Cup, we face a lot of injuries. In case there are any injuries before the World Cup, we will already have players available. The tournament pool will make it easier for us to find replacements,” the left-arm pacer said.