Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan is disappointed with the reports indicating that Shaheen Afridi’s role as T20I captain is in jeopardy.
Shaheen was appointed as Pakistan’s T20I captain last year after Babar Azam stepped down from his role just after World Cup 2023. But the starting of 23-year-old as captain was not ideal. He captained the team during the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Pakistan beat the Kiwis in the fifth and last match but lost the series 4-1.
Under his leadership, Lahore Qalandars could only manage to win one out of 10 matches and ended up in the last position with just three points.
Speaking at the post-match conference after Islamabad United made it to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final, their skipper Shadab talked about the difficulties in Pakistan’s captaincy. He emphasised the need for long-term thinking and adequate time for a new captain.
'One should be given a chance to captain properly'
"Even now, look, we've given Shaheen a series, and we're contemplating changing his captaincy. It shouldn't be like this because in the long term, one should be given a chance to captain properly according to his process, and his method. Because we want to experiment, win series as well, which could lead to issues," said Shadab.
Things can't change immediately: Shadab Khan
Shadab also mentioned the need for patience as he believes things can’t change quickly under a new captain. The all-rounder believes that rumours about a change in captaincy have created uncertainty as the T20 World Cup approaches.
"Whenever you bring someone in, things can't change immediately. It takes time. We want many things to change immediately, but that's not how it works; it's a process. In this process, there are mostly failures in the beginning, and it's important to see how we accept those failures," said Shadab.
"A captain has his own thought process, and right now, it's unclear because of discussions about changing the captain after just one series. With the World Cup, I think we need to identify players for the long run so that by the time we reach the World Cup, our issues are resolved," he added.
Pakistan will begin their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign against co-hosts USA in Dallas on June 6. Men in Green will face India on June 9 in New York.
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