Pakistan Cricket Board has named Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new white-ball captain, while Shan Masood will lead the men in green in Test matches. The appointment by the PCB comes after Babar Azam stepped down as Pakistan captain in all three formats.
The 34-year-old Masood has played 30 Tests for Pakistan, scoring 1597 runs at an average of 28.52 with a highest score of 156. Afridi, meanwhile, has taken 104 and 64 wickets respectively in the 53 ODIs and 52 T20s he has played to date.
Afridi also has a proven track record as a captain, leading Lahore Qalandars to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) title in the 2022 and 2023 editions.The first challenge for Shan, who has been appointed skipper until the end of the ICC World Test Championship 2023, will be the three-match Test series against Australia starting on 14 December.Meanwhile, Shaheen will take over the captaincy for the first time in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from 12-21 January.
Babar ends captaincy stint:
Soon after Babar’s post stepping down from the captain’s post, Shaheen Afridi wrote a heartfelt tribute to his skipper on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “(Babar Azam) under your exemplary leadership, it’s been a privilege to witness true teamwork and camaraderie. Your forefront leadership and commitment to team unity and collective success are commendable. Looking forward to seeing you break more batting records, In sha Allah.”
PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf also praised in an official statement, he wrote, “Babar Azam is truly a world-class player and we want him to continue to thrive as a player. He is one of the best batters Pakistan has ever produced. He is our asset, and we will continue to support him. His batting prowess is a testament to his dedication and skill. He is a role model for the present generation,”
“We want to see him grow as a great batter and now without his additional burden of the captaincy, he can focus more on his performances to reach even greater heights. We respect his decision and will continue to back him,” the statement further noted.
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Updated: 16 Nov 2023, 10:45 AM IST