'Babar Azam Alone Is More Than...' - PCB Chief Insults Shaheen After T20I Captaincy Sacking
Shaheen Afridi looking at Babar Azam in Pakistan's practice session (x.com)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made a shocking decision before the T20 World Cup 2024 by bringing back Babar Azam as their captain in white-ball cricket.
Babar resigned as their leader of the ship just after the terrible ODI World Cup in India, and the PCB chose Shaheen Afridi as their new leader in T20Is. However, after a few failures, they asked Babar to take the baton again, and he did before the mega event.
Speaking at a dinner at Pakistan House in London, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi asked the fans of Pakistan cricket to support them wholeheartedly, rather than loving them individually.
"This is the time to support the team. I urge everyone to stop criticising the team for the next four weeks. This team will win the World Cup for you," Naqvi said, as quoted by cricketpakistan.com.
In addition, Naqvi was asked what role would be for the vice-captain at the T20 World Cup, and more importantly, who would be taking the position in the USA and the West Indies? The PCB chief's response was blatant, which made a lot of noise in the town.
"In my opinion, Babar Azam alone is more than sufficient. This team has the best combination and is highly capable," Naqvi added.
To be fair, Shaheen should have been given the vice-captaincy role, particularly because he had a very short stint. Even though he has a lot of time in his international career—more than Babar, of course—giving the vice-captain's duty would help him grow his leadership quality.