Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, is not a fan of the notion of giving Shadab Khan the T20I captaincy following the Green Shirts' horror show in the World Cup, where the side crashed out in the Super 8s stage. Ever since Pakistan's ouster from the tournament, reports are doing the rounds stating that Salman Ali Agha is set to be removed as the skipper, with a new appointment very soon. The Pakistan media is rife with rumours of Shadab possibly replacing Agha, and Afridi himself hinted at this development last week, saying head coach Mike Hesson shares a good equation with the all-rounder, which may go in his favour.
However, Afridi cleared the air about his statement, stating that he was just stating the facts and that he nowhere said he believes Shadab should become the next captain in the T20I format. He stated that, looking at Shadab's recent performances, he doesn't even merit a place in the playing XI.
“Looking at his performance, I wouldn't even keep him in the team, let alone give him the captaincy. If Mike Hesson stays on as the coach, he was also there at Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League. Mike Hesson became Pakistan's coach after his stint in the PSL," Afridi said on Samaa.TV.
Also Read: Salman Ali Agha responds after reporter asks ‘khud kaaptani chodenge ya PCB hatayega?’: ‘Dummy captain’
“From there, his association with Shadab started. The head coach is giving Shadab chance after chance. That's why I said Shadab can become the next Pakistan captain. But looking at his recent performance, he doesn't even deserve a place in the playing XI,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“From there, his association with Shadab started. The head coach is giving Shadab chance after chance. That's why I said Shadab can become the next Pakistan captain. But looking at his recent performance, he doesn't even deserve a place in the playing XI,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}In the T20 World Cup 2026, Shadab was far from his best, giving mediocre performances. He had only one good game, against Namibia, where he scored 35 and took 3 wickets. After this outing, Shadab traded barbs at former Pakistan players, including Afridi, after they asked for his removal from the team following a poor showing against India.
Shadab said the former Pakistan players couldn't beat India in a World Cup, whereas his team did so in 2021. This comment didn't go down well back home, and severe criticism came Shadab's way.
Fakhar Zaman, the captain
When asked who should be the next captain, Afridi named Fakhar Zaman, saying the left-handed explosive batter is “aggressive” and he fits the bill perfectly.
“Looking at the current situation, I would go with Fakhar Zaman. I want an aggressive captain,” said Afridi.
“Right now, only one player fits the bill, and that is Fakhar,” he added.
Speaking of Pakistan, the team was eliminated from the T20 World Cup after failing to restrict Sri Lanka to under 147 in Pallekele on Saturday. Pakistan posted 212 but failed to keep the Island Nation to 147, as the opponent posted 207 runs. Pakistan might have won the contest but it wasn't enough to book a semi-final place.
This marked the fourth consecutive ICC event where Pakistan failed to make the semi-finals, and a lot of criticism is being directed towards Agha and Hesson.