PAK vs IRE: The tensions in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are far from over as the ousted white-ball captain, Shaheen Afridi launches a protest against Pakistan’s antics to sack him. Further, the pacer has called out the board for giving a false statement in his name in a press release.
As per the reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) didn’t hold any talks with then skipper Shaheen Afridi and the statement which is attributed to him on the PCB website is not given by him. The player is understood to be furious over the issue to the extent that he was about to make a fresh statement demeaning the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The PCB released an article informing the board’s decision to re-appoint Babar Azam as the leader of the pack in the white-ball format. The article had a section that attributed to Shaheen Afridi, who extended his full support to the newly appointed captain, according to the statement.
“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,” a section attributed to Shaheen Afridi reads.
However, to everyone’s surprise, nothing of the aforementioned was contributed by Shaheen Afridi. In fact, he was understood to be unaware of the fact that a statement had been put up on the official website of the PCB against his name.
The entire captaincy saga has now taken a sharp turn and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has now activated its all modes to do damage control.
Shaheen Afridi Sacked as Pakistan’s White Ball Captain
It’s interesting that Shaheen Afridi was awarded Pakistan’s white-ball captaincy after Babar Azam’s poor run in the World Cup 2023 in India. The newly set up selection committee, soon after Pakistan’s miserable run in the World Cup ended, appointed Afridi to the leadership position for the white balls, while Shan Masood was to lead the red-ball outfit.
The decision to hand over the white-ball reins to Shaheen Afridi was heavily influenced by the pacer’s performance as the captain in the PSL 2023 where he led his side – Lahore Qalandars – to back-to-back title wins.
However, to his misfortune, during the IPL 2024, Shaheen couldn’t repeat his heroics in the PSL. His side ended at the bottom of the points table with a mere one win off 10 outings.
Moreover, Shaheen faced a defeat in the solitary T20I series he led against New Zealand when he was the full-time captain of the side.
With the T20 World Cup 2024 just a few months away, the PCB immediately needs to bring all the stakeholders, including the key players, on a single page. A need for urgent damage control is the paramount for Moshin Naqvi-led selection committee and it remains to be seen how things unfold in the coming time.