Pakistan’s star pacer Shaheen Afridi’s captaincy has come under scrutiny following Lahore Qalandars’ dismal performance in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL). After leading the franchise to consecutive titles in the previous two seasons, Shaheen has failed to inspire his team this year. Lahore Qalandars have won only one match and are languishing at the bottom of the points table.
According to Cricket Pakistan, Shaheen is likely to lose his position as captain of Pakistan’s T20 team. The report suggests that Shaheen, at 23 years old, is too young to handle the responsibility. “PCB’s new chairman Mohsin Naqvi has been receiving suggestions for a change in captaincy. Some believe that 23-year-old Shaheen is too young for this responsibility and needs more maturity,” the report states.
Pakistan is scheduled to face New Zealand in a T20 series next month, and the decision on Shaheen’s future as captain will be made by Naqvi before then, with the upcoming T20 World Cup in mind. However, some board members believe that changing the leadership close to the World Cup could negatively impact the team’s performance.
Mohammad Rizwan is a potential candidate to replace Shaheen as captain, with former skipper Babar Azam also in contention. Shaheen took over as Pakistan’s T20 captain after Babar stepped down following the ODI World Cup last year. Babar had relinquished his role after Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament.
Shaheen led Pakistan in a five-match series in New Zealand earlier this year, but the visitors lost the series 1-4. Meanwhile, Rizwan and Babar will aim to guide their respective PSL franchises to the title. Rizwan’s Multan Sultans finished the group stage at the top of the table, while Babar’s Peshawar Zalmi also qualified for the playoffs. Babar is the leading scorer in the tournament with 498 runs in nine matches.
