Babar, Shaheen, Md Rizwan and Naseem Shah in a frame (x.com)
Pakistan Cricket Board is set to make bold decision after the early exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup, where the Babar Azam-led faced humiliating defeats from USA and the eventual winners, India as they got knocked out even before the Super-8 stage.
Since then, the current Pakistani players - especially captain Babar Azam and speedster Shaheen Afridi - have been facing scrutiny from the fans and media. The stakeholder of Pakistan cricket are demanding for change in leadership from the PCB.
Adding his opinion to the drama in Pakistan, former captain Salman Butt has asked the cricket board to replace the current T20I captain with Shan Masood, who lead the Men in Green in the longest format of the game.
"There is some fuss because of which, despite having skill, players haven't been able to execute. There is someone who doesn't have any strategy for planning, but still has a lot of attitude. To silence that attitude, I would definitely make Shan Masood the captain," Butt stated.
Post the embarrassment faced during the T20 World Cup, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting with former Pakistan greats to implement changes to the current set-ups, heading towards the preparations for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Meanwhile, it is understood that the PCB will stick with Babar Azam in the shorter format; however, the team would go through significant changes.
Earlier in 2023, Pakistan removed Babar Azam as captain, replacing him with Shaheen and Shan Masood in T20 and Test format, respectively. However, a 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand under down saw Babar getting back the T20I captaincy.
