Shaheen Afridi's role as captain of Pakistan's T20 team is not confirmed for a longer period, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi indicated on Sunday. Shaheen took over the job in November 2023 but the board chief is not sure whether he will be able to keep his post for a longer time.
"Even I don't know who the captain will be. Whether Shaheen continues or a new captain comes in will be determined after the fitness camp (starting on Monday). There are a number of technical factors we will consider, the details of which I do not want to go into. We want a long-term solution, whether it's Shaheen or a new man. And then we intend to stick by that man, instead of just changing a captain just because you lose a match or captain," Naqvi said.
Afridi was appointed the captain of the shortest format after Babar Azam stepped down from all three formats. He has led the national side in just one International series as of now, when Pakistan lost 1-4 to New Zealand.
To make matters worse for Shaheen's case, his Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars had a disastrous PSL campaign. The two-time defending champions Lahore managed to win just one out of the ten matches in the tournament and finished at the bottom place of the points table.
Notably, there are some major happenings in the Pakistan team. PCB has removed the post of chairman of selectors. "What's different about this committee is that there will be no chairman of the selection committee, with every member having equal power. They will make a majority decision based on debate and argument to reach satisfactory conclusions. We have looked at every single member of this committee to assess their merits and we are confident that we've made the right choices. The chairman should not have any say in the selection of players," Naqvi added.
PCB has also restored Haris Rauf's central contract. "I received a letter from Haris Rauf who made his case very nicely. There was a misunderstanding, and an incorrect decision was taken. His contract has been restored. I was worried about him because he was injured, and there were concerns about who would facilitate his treatment. We will now have insurance cover that because he's our star player, and it's important to take care of him," he added.
