Shaheen Afridi rejects Pakistan vice-captaincy offer for 2024 T20 World Cup - Reports
Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi has rejected the offer to be vice-captain of the side for the upcoming T20 World Cup as per reports from ESPN Cricinfo. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee was interested in naming Afridi as Babar Azam's deputy for the showpiece event.
However, with the left-arm pacer saying no to the offer, the board went ahead and announced the 15-member squad for the tournament without naming a vice-captain.
It is worth mentioning Afridi was named Pakistan's T20 skipper after Babar stepped down from the role across formats after the side's dismal 2023 ODI World Cup showing. However, the 24-year-old led the Men in Green in the lone series in New Zealand that they lost 1-4 before being replaced by Babar again.
Despite Afridi admitting to eventually putting the matter of being dumped after one series behind him, he reportedly wasn't keen on immidiately jumping into a leadership role.
The ESPN Cricinfo reports suggest Shadab Khan and Mohammad Rizwan as the other candidates on the board's horizon for the vice-captaincy role. However, the former's lack of recent form, which makes him a doubtful starter in every game, worked against him.
As for Rizwan, the committee rejected the option, preferring someone younger to be appointed vice-captain.
Pakistan recently announced their 15-member T20 World Cup squad
Pakistan finally announced their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup at the West Indies and U.S.A yesterday with Babar Azam at the helm. There were no surprises with the roster resembling the one on the tour of Ireland and England.
The Men in Green went pace-heavy with five specialist options - Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Amir. Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim and leggie Abrar Ahmed will be the lone specialist spin-bowling options.
Pakistan recently scraped through a 2-1 T20I series win against Ireland before having the series opener against England abandoned by rain. The second T20I is set to be played at Birmingham today.
The 4-match T20I series against England will be Pakistan's last before the World Cup, where they will take on co-hosts U.S.A in their tournament opener on June 6.
Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed