The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood as new captains of the T20I and Test format respectively following the resignation of Babar Azam. The PCB made the announcement after a period of deliberation that saw the chairman Zaka Ashraf consult several former cricketers including Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Shahid Afridi among others.
PCB took to the social media platform 'X' and posted, "Presenting our captains @shani_official has been appointed Test captain while @iShaheenAfridi will lead the T20I side".
Shaheen's appointment doesn't come across as much of a surprise. The left-arm pacer has been leading his Pakistan Super League (PSL) side Lahore Qalandars well and has already won two titles with the side. Qalandars won the 2022 edition of the PSL under the leadership of Shaheen and the Landi Kotal-born also led from the front to help them defend their title in the 2023 season.
Shaheen, 23, has a fair amount of experience playing T20Is. He has picked 64 wickets in 52 matches at an economy rate of 7.63. His bowling average of 22.73 is also one of the best among the current crop of pacers that are playing for Pakistan in T20Is.
On the other hand, Shan though has played only 30 Test matches, has a vast amount of first-class experience and has done well in red-ball cricket while playing in the County circuit. The southpaw has an underwhelming record as a batter in Tests and would like to improve the same now and lead by example.
The 34-year-old has scored 1597 runs at a decent average of 28.51 with the help of four centuries and seven half-centuries. He will face a stern challenge soon as Pakistan are set to lock horns with Australia in Australia in a three-match Test series starting December 14 in Perth.
