When it comes to Pakistan cricket, there is only one certainty, and that is, the unpredictable nature surrounding it. Babar Azam, who reluctantly but voluntarily stepped down from the post of Pakistan cricket team's captain a few months ago, now once again finds himself at the helm of the national team. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on March 31 (Sunday) announced Babar Azam as Pakistan's captain in white-ball cricket and stripped Shaheen Afrifi of T20I captaincy.
While reports in the last week or so hinted at the writing on the wall, there was still an element of surprise associated with it. The PCB's decision to remove Shaheen Afridi from captaincy just after one series does come as a shock but the board turning back to Babar once again is seen by many as one foot forward and two steps back.
The question that most cricket fans are grappling with is why Shaheen Afridi lost his captaincy. Well, the answer is simple.
PCB lost faith in Shaheen Afridi
After Babar decided to let go of Pakistan's captaincy following the team's poor performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, the PCB appointed Shaheen Afridi as T20I captain and Shan Masood as Test captain. While Masood has kept his job despite Pakistan getting white-washed against Australia in the 3-match Test series, Shaheen was penalised for the team's lackluster performance in the T20I series against New Zealand.
Under the leadership of Shaheen, Pakistan were comprehensively beaten in the five-match T20I series by New Zealand earlier in the year. The Men in Green could manage to win only one match while losing four matches. Thus, Afridi's record as Pakistan's captain in the shortest format of the game is abysmal, to say the least, albeit in a small sample size.
Furthermore, under Shaheen's captaincy, the Lahore Qalandars endured a torrid campaign in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL). The franchise played 10 matches and could only muster one win, losing eight matches. Lahore Qalandars finished at the bottom of the points table.
After seeing how teams performed under Shaheen's captaincy in the last three months, the PCB had 'lost faith' in the superstar pacer's leadership ability and thus decided to take a different route, especially with the 2024 T20 World Cup hovering on the horizon.
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