• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Theres Nothing Like That Shaheen Afridi Denies Rumours Of Captaincy Rift With Babar

'There's Nothing Like That': Shaheen Afridi Denies Rumours Of Captaincy Rift With Babar

Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Babar Azam during the 2023 World Cup (AP)Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Babar Azam during the 2023 World Cup (AP)

Shaheen Afridi has denied any sort of discontent with Babar Azam and the Pakistan team management over leadership issue. The star fast bowler led the ‘Men in Green’ for a T20I series in New Zealand earlier this year. 

However, the cricketer was stripped off his captaincy after a single tour as the PCB decided to reinstate Babar as national captain ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA.

While speaking on the PCB podcast, Shaheen said that “small disagreements” tend to happen in teams but they are free of any irrational disputes in light of the impending global T20I carnival.

Shaheen Afridi dismisses rumors of rift with Babar

The Pakistan cricket team is prepping itself for a four-match T20I series in England against the hosts. Ahead of the first T20I, ace paceman Shaheen Afridi revealed that there is no animosity within the team between him and Babar Azam over captaincy issue and urged fans to not take such rumors seriously.

“Small disagreements happen in every family, even among brothers. But there’s nothing like that in our team. Our players listen to each other. Our job is to play cricket and bring joy to our nation. We aim to play with unity, and this is not the time for arguments or disputes. It’s the time for everyone to be on the same page.”

Pakistan recently trounced Ireland in a three-match T20I series in Dublin by a 2-1 margin. The speedster himself won the ‘Player of the Match’ award in the series-decider by picking up figures of 3-14.

The Pakistan team, under Babar Azam, will soon touch base in Leeds to face hosts England in the first T20I of their four-match series. The series will be succeeded by the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA next month, where the ‘Men in Green’ will be clubbed in Group A alongside India, Ireland, Canada and United States.