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'No need for vice-captain': Shahid Afridi's radical proposal to PCB after Pakistan's split-captaincy decision
Shahid Afridi had an unusual suggestion for the PCB following the PCB's decision for split captaincy across the three formats.
Former captain Shahid Afridi has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to adopt a policy of appointing a single captain across all formats to avoid conflicts over leadership. This comes after star batter Babar Azam resigned from captaincy in all three formats following Pakistan's exit from the group stages of the ODI World Cup last year.
The PCB subsequently named Shaheen Shah Afridi the T20 skipper and Shan Masood the Test skipper. An announcement is yet to be made on ODI captaincy.
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"The PCB must have one captain for all formats, and there is no need to have a vice-captain. This will give a clear message to all players who are in charge," Afridi told reporters, as quoted by PTI.
The proposal to eliminate the vice-captain position is unconventional, considering that nearly every international cricket team appoints a deputy to the captain as a contingency in case the captain is unavailable. During Babar Azam's tenure as Pakistan's captain, Shadab Khan served as the vice-captain in T20Is, while Shan Masood held the position in the fifty-over format. However, the composition of the leadership team varied due to inconsistent performances.
Additionally, Afridi also expressed his support for team director Mohammad Hafeez and suggested that captains and team management should be given at least three-year contracts.
“If you think Muhammad Hafeez is good, then don't just judge him on one series give him proper time, and the same should apply to the captain as well he should be there for three years,” said Afridi.
Hafeez's tenure began with a tough 0-3 Test series loss to Australia Down Under. The series also marked the beginning of Shan Masood's tenure as the side's skipper in the longest format.
This year, the focus turns to the T20Is with the World Cup scheduled in June, and Afridi wants the team management to provide a consistent run to the players in contention for spots in the tournament.
"The World T20 Cup is going to be a very tough tournament this year with some very strong teams in the hunt for the title. I also don’t think this is the time to make any changes in the format squad," he said.
"We just need to continue with the same group of players and give them confidence. But yes I would like to see Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub open the batting in T20s.”
