Former Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, has denied allegations of lobbying for Shaheen Shah Afridi to become the captain of the national team for the T20I series against Afghanistan. Afridi clarified that he was not even supporting Shaheen to captain Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and lobbying for his selection as the national team captain was out of the question.
Afridi also mentioned that he was the interim Chief Selector for the cricket board previously but now has no relation with it. He said that he will not approach anyone for such a move, and he had no involvement in the selection process.
Afridi supported the decision to make Shadab Khan the captain of the national team for the T20I series against Afghanistan. He appreciated the bold and good decision and mentioned that Shadab Khan is a senior player in the current setup and has been a vice-captain for the shortest format.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was reported to be keen on resting Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and some senior players for the series while Shaheen Afridi would captain the national team. However, hours later, reports started coming out that the left-arm pacer had also been advised to take a rest ahead of the white-ball series against New Zealand, starting on April 13.
To clarify the rumors, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Najam Sethi, held a press conference with Chief Selector Haroon Rasheed to announce the squad for the series. They confirmed that Shaheen Afridi had been rested along with other senior players and that Shadab Khan would lead the team.
