Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi reiterated his support for wicketkeeper-batsman M.Rizwan over Shaheen Shah Afridi for the T20I captaincy.
During an event in Australia, Afridi praised Rizwan’s dedication and focus on the game, highlighting his admiration for Rizwan’s ability to concentrate solely on his performance without getting distracted by external factors.
Expressing his preference for Rizwan as the T20 captain, Afridi humorously pointed out the mix-up that led to Shaheen becoming the skipper. This playful remark prompted laughter from the audience and drew smiles from Rizwan, Harif Rauf, and Shaheen himself.
Shaheen, a tall fast bowler, took over the captaincy from Babar Azam in November. With 64 wickets in 52 T20Is and successful leadership in the Pakistan Super League for Lahore Qalandars, Shaheen has shown his capabilities as a leader on the field.
Afridi had previously intervened in Shaheen’s captaincy aspirations, admitting that he had advised against accepting the captaincy for Lahore Qalandars.
The veteran cricketer, aged 46, advised Shaheen to focus more on his bowling by avoiding the captaincy role for a year or two. Afridi’s stance consistently favors M.Rizwan leadership qualities over Shaheen’s captaincy stint.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand Tour:
- Shaheen Afridi (c)
- Aamir Jamal
- Abbas Afridi
- Abrar Ahmed
- Azam Khan (wk)
- Babar Azam
- Fakhar Zaman
- Haris Rauf
- Haseebullah (wk)
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
- Mohammad Wasim Jnr
- Sahibzada Farhan
- Saim Ayub
- Usama Mir
- Zaman Khan
The schedule for Pakistan’s 2024 tour to New Zealand:
- First match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 12, Auckland
- Second match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 14, Hamilton
- Third match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 17, Dunedin
- Fourth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 19, Christchurch
- Fifth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 21, Christchurch.
