Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has criticized current national team captain Babar Azam for assuming the captaincy from Shaheen Afridi just before the T20 World Cup 2024. Pakistan's early exit from the tournament, following humiliating defeats against USA and India in their initial matches, has raised questions about the team's leadership.
In the wake of Pakistan's disappointing performance, Afridi expressed his disapproval of Babar's reinstatement as captain, especially after being relieved of his duties following the ODI World Cup 2023. Babar was stripped of his captaincy after Pakistan's failure to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament, with Shaheen taking over leadership of the T20I squad.
The left-arm seamer had a challenging start to his captaincy tenure, experiencing a disappointing 1-4 loss against New Zealand in January of this year. Consequently, he was unexpectedly relieved of his position, with Babar Azam being reinstated as skipper in preparation for the upcoming home series against New Zealand in April.
Expressing his disappointment with the team's performance in the current tournament, Afridi did not hold back as he criticized Babar for not fully supporting Shaheen as the captain of the T20I side.
“If the decision on Shaheen’s captaincy had been made and you [PCB] had stated that he will remain the captain till the [T20] World Cup, then I think Babar [Azam] should have supported Shaheen there and should have said that 'no, if you have made him [Shaheen] the captain, then we are ready to play under his captaincy because Shaheen has been playing with me for a long time. If he is made captain and the selection committee has made him the captain, then yes I will support him and play under his captaincy'. This is the stance Babar should’ve taken. Babar’s respect would’ve increased greatly that he has set an example with a remarkable decision," Afridi said on his YouTube channel.
The 2009 World Cup champion elaborated that the responsibility for the team's performance cannot solely be attributed to Babar, as the selection committee also bears some responsibility.
"But this was not entirely the fault of Babar because some of the blame lies with the selection committee too since some of the selectors on record said that Babar doesn't know how to do captaincy,” he added.
Pakistan will face off against Ireland in their final match on Sunday, June 16 at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida. The runner-ups from the previous edition are determined to finish the tournament strong with a victory in their last game.
Also read| PAK vs IRE T20 World Cup 2024: Predicted playing XIs, live streaming details, weather and pitch report
