'Played under Babar Azam...' - Shaheen Afridi breaks silence as PCB gives bizarre reason behind his sacking

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued an official statement on the removal of Shaheen Afridi as the captain of the team. The governing body stated that they thought about the workload management of the fast bowler so that he could stay fit for the T20 World Cup 2024.

In what was a shocking move the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reappointed Babar Azam as the captain of the team in the white-ball format on Sunday (31st March). The right-hander was sacked as the captain of the team after the ICC World Cup 2023 following Pakistan’s poor performance in the tournament.

PCB then appointed Shaheen Afridi as the captain in the T20 format but the move didn’t work. The fast bowler as captain suffered a 4-1 thrashing in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Apart from this, he also was poor as a leader in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Shaheen Afridi was appointed as the skipper of the team by the previous PCB Chairman. But since the time, Mohsin Naqvi took charge, he has done harsh things. He was keen to bring Babar Azam back as a leader as he wanted the batter to lead the team in the T20 World Cup 2024.

With the Pakistan Cricket Board removing Shaheen Afridi as captain just after the one series, many lashed out at the board. They went hard at the governing body for relieving the fast bowler of his duties after just one bad series.

PCB, however, released an official statement about the development. They stated that it was a strategic move to remove Shaheen Afridi so that they could ensure their well-being. The statement read:

“In a strategic move aimed at ensuring player well-being and peak performance, the board overhauled the white-ball leadership. Babar, renowned for his brilliant batting record in international cricket will take over the captaincy from Shaheen Shah Afridi.

“While Shaheen Afridi has undeniably proven himself as a star fast bowler, leading Pakistan’s pace attack over the years, the board recognises the importance of rotation and rest to maintain his peak performance. This decision aligns with the board’s commitment to safeguarding the longevity of the players, especially fast bowlers given their injury timelines in the past two years.”

PCB further stated that they have been looking after Shaheen Afridi since the World Cup 2023 as they don’t want the pacer to get injured for the T20 World Cup 2024. They stated:

“Keeping in mind workload management, this decision is to ensure Pakistan’s main bowlers remain at the top of their game. The board does not want the national men’s team to run into an injury crisis concerning the bowling resources as seen before the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, where Shaheen had to be closely looked after and ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023, where the team didn’t have the services of Naseem Shah.”

We are all one – Shaheen Afridi after getting sacked as captain of the Pakistan Cricket Board

Shaheen Afridi also opened up about him getting sacked as the leader of the Pakistan team. He stated that he was honored to captain the team and will be trying his best to help Babar Azam. While stressing that they are all one, he added that their aim is to make Pakistan No.1. He added:

“It was an absolute honour to captain the Pakistan National Cricket Team. I will always cherish the memories and the opportunity. As a team player, it is my duty to back our captain, Babar Azam. I have played under his captaincy and have nothing but respect for him. I will try to help him on and off the field. We are all one. Our aim is the same, to help Pakistan become the best team in the world.”

Baba Azam also talked about taking the captaincy of the Pakistan team, stating that he will be taking inputs from Shaheen Afridi. Talking about the same, he elaborated:

“It was a pleasure to play under Shaheen’s leadership in the recent T20I series. He is still young and is improving as a player and as a leader every day. As a captain, I have always valued his input and I will keep consulting him for important decisions going forward. We must take advantage of his strategic understanding of the game. Our joint aim is to make this team the best in the world,” he concluded.