ICC World T20 2016: Shahid Afridi resigns as Pakistan captain
Under fire from all corners over his alleged lackadaisical leadership, and hampered further by Pakistan’s dismal run in the shortest format of the game, the incumbent Pakistani T20 captain, Shahid Afridi, has decided to relinquish his captaincy.
In a twitter update, the veteran Pakistani all-rounder informed the Pakistani diaspora of his decision and said that it was taken under his own will.
The cricketer thanked the Almighty for the mercy under which he believed he was able to discharge his duties as the team’s captain, and also went a step ahead to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shahryar Khan for giving him the honour to lead the side.
However, there were no signs of him retiring from the shortest format of the game- the only format that he plays now- as he expressed his desire to keep representing his country and asked for the fans’ wishes and prayers so that he could perform to the best of his abilities.
The cricketer had been criticised heavily after Pakistan’s exit from the World T20 with several former players such as Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis and team manager Intikhab Alam uttering several harsh words.
Pakistan’s form in the shortest format of the game has been pretty poor of late, as the team won just 1 game out of 4 in the World T20- against Bangladesh- and had also failed to qualify for the Asia Cup final.
Afridi’s own form with the bat had also been inconsistent, as barring the game against Bangladesh where he scored a breathtaking half-century, he could not score much in the tournament.
With scores of 0, 49, 8, 19, 14, and just 4 wickets in the marquee event, Afridi failed to do justice to the role of an all-rounder assigned to him, apart from failing as a captain.