Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi on Friday ended his silence on the fiasco around his removal from the post of T20I captain. Less than a week back, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took a massive U-turn as they reappointed Babar Azam as the white-ball leader, two months before the start of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies, thus drawing curtains on Shaheen's one-series stint as T20I skipper.
Babar stepped down from the leadership role across formats last November after PCB made wholesome changes in the administration after the 2023 ODI World Cup where Pakistan failed to make it past the league stage. Shaheen was soon named the leader in T20I cricket while Shan Masood was handed Test captaincy.
Under Shaheen, Pakistan incurred a 1-4 series loss in New Zealand and it was followed by a poor captaincy outing for Lahore Qalandars in Pakistan Super League 2024, where the franchise picked up a solitary win in 10 matches.
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However, the saga plunged into further crisis after it was reported that Shaheen was furious over the statement attributed to him on the PCB website. In the press release put out by PCB on Babar's appointment, it was stated that Shaheen pledged to support the Pakistan batter saying: "Our aim is the same, to help Pakistan become the best team in the world."
{{/usCountry}}However, the saga plunged into further crisis after it was reported that Shaheen was furious over the statement attributed to him on the PCB website. In the press release put out by PCB on Babar's appointment, it was stated that Shaheen pledged to support the Pakistan batter saying: "Our aim is the same, to help Pakistan become the best team in the world."
{{/usCountry}}Amid the fiasco, Shaheen posted an Instagram story which comprised a 29-second clip of a lion while the words read: “Never ever put me in a position where I have to show you how cruel and ruthless I can be. Don't test my patience. Because I might be the kindest and sweetest person you've ever met, but once I reach my limit, you'll see me do the things that no one thought I was capable of doing.”
Babar's captaincy tenure will resume with a five-match T20I home series against New Zealand followed by a contest against England in late May before they take off for the T20 World Cup.