Pakistan Cricket Board named Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new white-ball captain, while Shan Masood will lead the men in green in test matches. The PCB’s appointment comes after Babar Azam stepped down as Pakistan captain in all three formats.
The 34-year-old Masood played 30 Tests for Pakistan, scoring 1597 runs at an average of 28.52 with a top score of 156. Afridi, meanwhile, took 104 and 64 wickets respectively in the 53 ODIs and 52 T20s he played. until now.
Afridi also has a proven record as a captain, leading Lahore Qalandars to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) title in the 2022 and 2023 editions. The first challenge for Shan, who was appointed skipper until the end of the ICC World Test Championship. 2023, will be the three-match Test series against Australia starting on December 14. Meanwhile, Shaheen will take over the captaincy for the first time in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from January 12-21.
Babar ends captaincy stint:
Soon after Babar’s post stepped down from the captaincy, Shaheen Afridi wrote a heartfelt tribute to his skipper on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “(Babar Azam) under your exemplary leadership, it was a privilege to witness true teamwork and camaraderie. Your cutting-edge leadership and commitment to team unity and collective success is commendable. Looking forward to seeing you break more batting records, In sha Allah.”
PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf also praised in an official statement, he wrote, “Babar Azam is truly a world-class player and we want him to continue to flourish as a player. He is one of the best batsmen Pakistan has ever produced. He is our asset, and we will continue to support him. His fighting prowess is a testament to his dedication and ability. He is a role model for the current generation,”
“We want to see him grow as a great batsman and now without his additional burden of captaincy, he can focus more on his performances to reach even greater heights. We respect his decision and will continue to support him,” the statement further noted. .
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Updated: 16 Nov 2023, 10:45 IST