Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi expressed disapproval of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to appoint Shaheen Afridi as captain.
The 43-year-old advocates for wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan to lead the Men in Green in the T20 format. He praised Rizwan as a fighter and highlighted the skills that set him apart from others.
Shahid Afridi Prefers Mohammad Rizwan As T20I Captain Over Shaheen Afridi
Afridi was recently quoted by GeoTV/Samaa TV as saying:
“(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!”
He added: “I want to see him (Rizwan) as the T20 captain, but, mistakenly, Shaheen became the skipper.”
For those not aware, Mohammad Rizwan has captained Multan Sultans to 24 victories in 36 games in the Pakistan Super League, maintaining a win percentage of 66.66.
Mohammad Rizwan’s superb performance in 2023:
Test average of 63.50
ODI average of 63.93 (strike-rate of 93.76, 1 hundred & 7 fifties)
T20I average of 54.00 (strike-rate of 139.65, 2 fifties)#Cricket— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) December 31, 2023
In contrast, Shaheen Afridi has led Lahore Qalandars to 17 wins in 25 games, securing a win percentage of 68. The pace bowler successfully guided Lahore to consecutive trophies in 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile, the Sultans, captained by Rizwan, clinched the 2021 PSL title and were runners-up in the last two seasons.
Afridi has a formidable task ahead at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean, set to take place in June. In the 2022 edition, former captain Babar Azam led Pakistan to the final in Melbourne, where the Men in Green faced a loss to eventual champions England by five wickets.
Shaheen Afridi is all set to start his captaincy journey with the upcoming five-match T20I series in New Zealand, commencing on January 12. Following that, Pakistan will engage in a four-match T20I series in England before the T20 World Cup.
Complete schedule:
1. 1st T20 – January 12, 2024, at Eden Park, Auckland
2. 2nd T20 – January 14, 2024, at Seddon Park, Hamilton
3. 3rd T20 – January 17, 2024, at University Oval, Dunedin
4. 4th T20 – January 19, 2024, at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
5. 5th T20 – January 21, 2024, at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
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