File photo of Shaheen Afridi (left) and Babar Azam.© AFP
The captaincy shuffle in Pakistan cricket team has become a major talking point in the past few months. Babar Azam had relinquished his responsibility as Pakistan skipper across formats after the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup. After him, Shaheen Afridi was named the captain in T20Is while Shan Masood took over the duties in Test cricket. Under Shaheen, Pakistan lost 4-1 to New Zealand just ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup and the pacer was stripped of his role, with Babar being reinstated as white-ball captain.
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan, who was also a part of the 1992 ODI World Cup-winning team, said that removing Shaheen as T20I captain was "unjust" and he should have been given more time.
"Shaheen Afridi has the ability to lead the team and is highly liked by the players. He is an excellent choice for captaincy in T20s. In white-ball cricket, I don't see anyone else suitable for the role. Removing him from the captaincy was unjust. He is one of the best T20 players, and I've noticed his performance has slightly declined since he was removed from the captaincy. How can you expect good performance if you don't give players confidence? They should be given some time as captain," Moin told Cricket Pakistan.
Some media reports have claimed that Babar Azam could be replaced by Mohammad Rizwan as white-ball captain of Pakistan.
"A single captain can be appointed for all formats of cricket, but it's crucial for any player to perform across all formats to achieve this. Whoever becomes captain should have the responsibility for a long term. There is no doubt about Mohammad Rizwan's abilities; any criticism against him might be due to his age. It's also important to consider how long he can represent the team if given leadership. Mohammad Rizwan could be a great short-term captain, but you would need to groom a young cricketer to take over in the future. We often appoint captains but fail to prepare a suitable deputy," Moin added.