Shaheen strong contender to replace Babar as T20 captain

ISLAMABAD: Shaheen Shah Afridi has emerged as a strong contender to take over the white-ball captaincy and to lead Pakistan in the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by West Indies and the US in June 2024.

It has been learnt that the PCB Management Committee has made up its mind to relieve Babar Azam as the white-ball captain. “Shaheen Shah Afridi has emerged as a strong contender to replace Babar as the new T20 and ODI captain from here on. Afridi will take the team to the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by the West Indies and the US in June 2024,” a source within the Board said.

Meanwhile, it has been left to Babar Azam to decide about his fate as far as his role as captain in Test cricket is concerned. If Babar is unwilling to take the team Down Under as captain of the Test team or decides to stay out of the tour for one reason or the other, Shan Masood will be a strong contender for the Test captaincy.

“News emerging late evening suggest that Babar may even opt out of the tour to Australia. That means he would not be willing to lead the team in Test cricket. He is expected to meet Chairman PCB Zaka Ashraf on Wednesday to share his future plan after which an official announcement will be made. If Babar decides not to lead the team in Test cricket, the PCB will not insist. He would then be asked to accompany the team as a senior batsman. Shan Masood will then be appointed as captain to lead the Test side starting with the three-match series against Australia,” the source confirmed.