PAK vs NZ: Shaheen Afridi Has Fitness Issues - Ramiz Raja On Pacer's Appointment As T20I Captain

Former Pakistan cricketer and PCB Chief Ramiz Raja shared his views on left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi becoming the captain of Pakistan’s T20 side, which is currently playing a 5-match T20I series against New Zealand with the 1st T20I ending up in favor of the Kiwis by a margin of 46 runs.

It is going to be an important series for both sides as they prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies starting from June 1. The Men in Green will be entering the 20-team tournament for the first time with Shaheen Afridi as the captain and this particular series will give them a revelation as to what their best combinations will be when the mega event begins.

?️ Ramiz Raja on the appointment of Shaheen Afridi as T20I captain and his fitness issues ?#BabarAzam? #PAKvsNZ #T20WorldCup2024 pic.twitter.com/cQKi7uyUnw

— CricWick (@CricWick) January 11, 2024

Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to appoint Shaheen Afridi as the T20 captain has received mixed reactions and Ramiz Raja became the latest to express his views or “disapproval” as a matter of fact. The former PCB chief started off by questioning the fitness of Shaheen Afridi who even sat in the dugout during the 3rd Test against Australia which ensured a 3-0 whitewash of Shan Masood’s side.

Raja after questioning Shaheen’s fitness went on to claim that the role of captains in T20 cricket is not that important when you try to compare it with Test cricket. He also asked if his captaincy would matter that much and also expressed his strong opinion against the instant removal of Babar Azam as the all-format captain.

“See, I think he has fitness issues. In T20 cricket Captaincy doesn’t matter that much. You know when a bowler has to bowl the initial overs, which bowler will bowl in the middle overs, so captaincy doesn’t have much important like it has in Test cricket. So my issue is that what is the status of his own fitness and what impact does it have on the team?” – Ramiz Raja said. 

Ramiz Raja Highlights Internal PCB Politics On Babar’s Dismissal And Shaheen Afridi’s Appointment

Ramiz Raja did not hold back from criticizing the Pakistan cricket board for causing internal chaos through dirty politics. He raised his views against PCB’s ways of firing Babar Azam from captaincy and changing the leadership for the sake of it instead of actually doing it for a cause.

Raja emphasized on the fact that there should be quality management in place so that players can get enough clarity as to what their role is. He concluded by stating that if PCB’s model is still the same as before then captaincy changes won’t benefit the team.

“When you remove a regular captain it has its own demerit points. It is fine to bring about a change in leadership but the way they (PCB) fired Babar Azam from captaincy is something I am totally against. You try to remove him through your politics mid way through the World Cup you are sending indications about the change is not the correct conduct. 

“That is the reason why there are disputes between players and management boards. And that is why you should have a quality management in place so that engagement with players get easy. Players have ego issues, they claim they have come from a black and white model then why are you doing it with us instead of giving us clarity about our future? Now we’ll have to see his (Shaheen Afridi) fitness but if your model is still the same as before then changing captains wont be beneficial.”