Babar Azam shocked the cricket world with a captaincy bombshell following Pakistan’s premature exit from the ICC World Cup 2023 in India on Wednesday. The former world no.1 batter, dissatisfied with Pakistan’s performance, announced his resignation from captaincy across all formats during India’s semi-final clash with New Zealand.
In response to Babar’s decision, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) swiftly appointed pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20I captain, entrusting him with the leadership of the Green Army in the shortest format. Additionally, Shan Masood is slated to lead the Asian side in Test cricket. The PCB made the announcement, stating, “Presenting our captains, @shani_official has been appointed Test captain while @iShaheenAfridi will lead the T20I side.”
Shan Masood, who debuted in Test cricket against South Africa in 2013, will helm Pakistan in the longest format. Despite playing only 30 Test matches, the 34-year-old has accumulated 1597 runs, maintaining an average of 28.52. Masood has notched up seven half-centuries and four centuries in Test cricket.
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Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi, taking over as Babar’s successor in T20I cricket, brings significant experience to the role. Having participated in 52 T20I games, the pace sensation has also represented Pakistan in 27 Tests and 53 One Day Internationals (ODIs).
PCB is yet to announce an ODI captain and it is not clear whether Shaheen Shah Afridi will also captain the ODI team of Pakistan. As of now, he is specifically named as T20I captain which gives rise to the rumour that a different captain is going to be announced for the ODIs.
Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan are the front-runners for the role of captain in ODI format of the game.