‘At Least Give Him One Year’ – Wasim Akram Urges PCB to Appoint Shaheen Afridi as Pakistan Captain
Wasim Akram has urged PCB to reappoint Shaheen Afridi as captain of Pakistan.
Pakistan’s decision to reappoint Babar Azam as captain didn’t pay off as expected, with the team bowing out in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Notably, Babar Azam had stepped down from the role after the poor performance of the team in the ODI World Cup 2023, where they failed to qualify for the semifinals.
The PCB sacked Shaheen Afridi after just one T20I series defeat. Just before the T20 World Cup 2024, the cricket board offered the captaincy to Babar Azam, and he accepted it.
However, the Men in Green once again failed to deliver as a unit, not qualifying for the Super 8s. Wasim Akram has now slammed the PCB for axing Shaheen Afridi as captain.
The former Pakistan pacer also criticized the constant management shuffles. He argued that with so many changes, the team has no chance of being consistent.
Wasim Akram believes that Pakistan cricket should have given Shaheen Afridi at least one year in the captaincy role. He also urged the young pacer to focus on his cricket until he gets the captaincy back.
“He’s a wicket-taking bowler. He goes for wickets. He attacks with the new ball in the T20 format. Everyone knows that he’ll pitch it up, but he still gets them out, and that’s what I love about him,” he said.
“At least give Shaheen a year to lead, and then he could be changed, but I don’t know. He’s an aggressive cricketer, only 23 or 24 years old, maybe younger. He’s got a bright future ahead. He’ll get the captaincy again but should focus on his game until he gets it,” he concluded.
Amidst all this, there were reports of a rift within the team. It was reported that Shaheen Afridi was not happy after he was sacked from the captaincy after just one series.
