Babar Azam And Shaheen Afridi On Good Terms, Claims Ex-PCB Chief

Shaheen Afridi briefly replaced Babar Azam as T20I captain (x.com)Shaheen Afridi briefly replaced Babar Azam as T20I captain (x.com)

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has denied rumors of a possible in-team rift between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi. Moreover, Ashraf claimed that the unity between the two players actually strengthened after he appointed Shaheen as Babar’s replacement for Pakistan’s T20I captaincy.

The roles eventually reversed back, as the senior charismatic batter won back the leadership role for the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA. The move, however, made little difference to Pakistan’s dwindling fortunes as the ‘Men in Green’ faced a first-round exit from the tournament following their humiliating defeats to hosts USA and arch-rivals India.

Zaka Ashraf defends making Shaheen T20I captain

Babar Azam relinquished his all-format captaincy soon after Pakistan’s first-round exit from the 2023 World Cup back in November last year. Following his resignation, the PCB appointed Shan Masood as Pakistan’s new Test captain and gave the team’s white-ball reigns to Shaheen Afridi.

The appointment of Shaheen Afridi as new white-ball captain also coincided with various reports indicating a possible rift between him and his predecessor. Denying all rumors, ex-PCB chief Zaka Ashraf has claimed that the relations between the two cricketing superstars have actually strengthened ever since he elected Shaheen as new captain. He said:

“The unity didn't end after removing Babar Azam as captain. In fact, the unity improved.”

Zaka Ashraf also defended his decision of appointing Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood as Pakistan’s new white-ball and Test captains. Contrary to his claims, the Pakistan cricket team has failed to win a single series under their leaderships.

Shaheen’s lone captaincy venture featured a T20I series defeat in New Zealand, which prompted Babar Azam to land back the role for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Under Shan Masood, the Pakistan cricket team lost their three-match Test series against Australia by a 0-3 margin ‘Down Under’. Moreover, Masood’s troops stooped to a new low after having recently lost a home series to Bangladesh.