Shaheen Afridi told ‘you don’t even deserve a place in T20I playing XI': ‘Now the time is over’

Rashid Latif believes Shaheen Afridi doesn't even warrant a place in the T20I playing XI.

Updated on: Mar 20, 2026, 09:03:36 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif made a sweeping remark about pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, saying the left-arm speedster doesn't even warrant a place in the T20I playing XI owing to his poor form. Ever since the 2022 T20 World Cup, the 25-year-old has looked a pale shadow of his old self, leaking runs for fun across formats. The left-arm pacer had a T20 World Cup 2026 to forget and was even dropped for the group stage match against Namibia after leaking more than 20 runs in the two overs he bowled against India.

Rashid Latif believes Shaheen Afridi doesn't even warrant a place in the T20I playing XI. (AFP)

Recently, under Shaheen's captaincy, Pakistan also lost the ODI series against Bangladesh, and the latest result saw several fans and pundits back home say the pacer is not the right fit for the ODI captaincy; rather, he should be handed the reins of the T20 team, replacing Salman Ali Agha.

However, Latif shut this notion down, saying Shaheen doesn't even deserve a place in the playing XI, hence the attempt to push a narrative should be stopped as the speedster first needs to earn his place in the lineup.

Also Read: Shahid Afridi blasts selectors over Shaheen captaincy call after Bangladesh defeat: Real surgery should be on committee

“Now everyone is saying that Shaheen should not be the ODI captain. He shouldn't even be in the T20I team. People are now saying that he should become the captain of the T20I side after the World Cup debacle,” Latif said.

“Yes, he should have been earlier, but now he doesn't deserve a place in the T20I team. People are running a campaign to have him be the captain of the T20I team instead of ODIs. He doesn't even deserve a place. Now, the time is over,” he added.

ODI series performance

In the series against Bangladesh, Shaheen scalped 4 wickets in 3 matches; however, he once again lacked penetration, failing to provide Pakistan with early wickets at the top. This was the same problem in the T20 World Cup, and he hasn't looked the same bowler ever since undergoing surgery.

With the bat, Shaheen tried his best to help Pakistan win the series decider in Dhaka, but his 37-run knock was of no use as the visitors fell 11 runs short in the third and final ODI.

Shaheen will next be seen leading the Lahore Qalandars in the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL), scheduled to begin on March 26.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

Shaheen Afridi

Get live cricket scores, match updates, schedules, results and ICC rankings. Follow the latest news, statistics and performances of top teams and players on Hindustan Times.