Shahid Afridi’s Alleged Lobbying for Sonlaw as T20 Captain Sparks Controversy
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Shahid Afridi, the legendary all-rounder, sparked a social media buzz with his remarks on his son-in-law, Shaheen Afridi, taking over as Pakistan’s T20I captain from Babar Azam.
This comes after Babar Azam resigned as captain across all formats due to the team's poor performance in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, where they were eliminated in the group stage with four wins and five losses. Critics, including former players, had urged Babar Azam to step down as captain and focus on improving his performances.
Babar Azam announced his resignation after a meeting with PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf. Shortly thereafter, Shan Masood was appointed Test captain, and Shaheen Afridi was named the captain for the T20I side. Addressing accusations of lobbying for Shaheen’s captaincy, Shahid Afridi clarified on a private channel that he had opposed the cricket board’s prompt decision to appoint new captains immediately.
He mentioned expressing this view to interim Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar and PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf, advocating for Babar Azam to remain Test captain. Afridi also suggested that Mohammad Rizwan, the wicketkeeper-batsman, should have been the captain in limited-overs formats.
Afridi attributed Shaheen Afridi's appointment as T20I captain to PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and Mohammad Hafeez, the current Director of Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team, denying any personal involvement or lobbying despite being related to Shaheen Afridi.
