"I want to see him" - Shahid Afridi wants Mohammad Rizwan as T20I captain, not Shaheen Afridi
Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi called out the Pakistan Cricket Board for appointing Shaheen Afridi as captain.
The 43-year-old wants wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan to lead the Men in Green in the shortest format. He called Rizwan a fighter and pointed out the skills that make him stand apart from the rest.
Afridi was recently quoted as saying by GeoTV/ Samaa TV:
“(I admire Rizwan's) hardwork and focus level. His best quality, which I like most, is only focusing on his game and paying no heed to who doing what and what not. He is really a fighter!”
Afridi added:
“I want to see him (Rizwan) as the T20 captain, but, mistakenly, Shaheen became the skipper.”
For the unversed, Rizwan has led Multan Sultans to 24 wins in 36 games at a win percentage of 66.66 in Pakistan Super League.
Shaheen Afridi has guided Lahore Qalandars to 17 wins in 25 games at a win percentage of 68. The speedster has led Lahore to consecutive trophies in 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile, Rizwan-led Sultans won the 2021 PSL final and were runners-up in the last two seasons.
Afridi has big shoes to fill at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean, which will be played in June. Former captain Babar Azam led Pakistan to the 2022 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne. The Men in Green, though, lost to eventual champions England by five wickets.
Shaheen Afridi to begin Pakistan’s captaincy with New Zealand tour
Shaheen Afridi is set to begin his captaincy stint with the upcoming five-game T20I series in New Zealand, which starts on January 12. Pakistan also play a four-game T20I series in England before the T20 World Cup.
Full schedule:
1st T20 – 12 January 2024 at Eden Park, Auckland
2nd T20 – 14 January 2024 at Seddon Park, Hamilton
3rd T20 – 17 January 2024 at University Oval, Dunedin
4th T20 – 19 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
5th T20 – 21 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch