Shaheen Afridi denies taking any responsibility for Pakistan despite being named captain

Pakistan’s newly appointed ODI captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, has shared his enthusiasm ahead of the three-match home series against South Africa. Shaheen spoke about speculation surrounding his leadership decisions during the New Zealand series, adding that the changes were not his personal choices.

South Africa will field a second-string squad for the ODI series against Pakistan, with several senior players unavailable. Skipper Temba Bavuma has been sidelined due to injury, while fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen have been rested. Young batter Matthew Breetzke will take over the captaincy.

Shaheen Afridi Takes Over ODI Captaincy from Mohammad Rizwan

Shaheen Shah Afridi replaced Mohammad Rizwan as ODI captain ahead of the South Africa series. Rizwan, who took over the 50-over leadership last year, had guided Pakistan to series wins against Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, but disappointing results in 2025 led to his removal.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

The team lost the tri-series final at home to New Zealand. They suffered an early exit from the Champions Trophy they hosted, and a 2-1 ODI defeat in the West Indies. These setbacks forced the Pakistan Cricket Board to make another leadership change.

Shaheen, who previously captained the T20 side in 2024 before being replaced by Babar Azam following a 4-1 defeat in New Zealand, will return to leadership. Afridi has expressed his determination to lead with greater responsibility and help Pakistan rebuild its momentum in the ODI format.

I Think There’s a Bit of Misunderstanding - Shaheen Afridi

Shaheen Afridi clarified that the team’s batting order decisions were not made by him during his first series as captain against New Zealand. The left-arm pacer stated that such choices were made after discussions with the team management and the head coach.

“About the batting order, I think there’s a bit of misunderstanding. In New Zealand, I didn’t make those changes on my own," Shaheen Afridi said.

"As captain, I try to send players according to their proper batting numbers. Cricket is a team game — decisions are taken collectively with the management and the head coach. If it was an individual game, I’d be playing a different sport altogether,” he added.

Babar Azam’s Last Innings Was Really Good - Shaheen Afridi

Shaheen Afridi defended Babar Azam amid recent scrutiny over his form, saying that occasional lean patches are a normal part of cricket and happen to every team. He pointed out that only a few players manage to perform consistently across every series.

“Every team goes through phases where a few players struggle. You only have two or three who perform consistently in every series. Babar’s last innings was really good — it must have given him confidence that he’s getting back to his best," Shaheen opined.

"Just because he didn’t score runs in two or three matches doesn’t mean he’s out of form. He’s been performing for Pakistan for four or five years, always among the top scorers — whether in ODIs or T20s. He has that ability to score runs and win games for the team,” he continued.

Also read: Cricket is not a gentleman’s game!! Harmanpreet Kaur shares bold message after World Cup 2025 win