Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi is all set to pay a big price for his poor leadership qualities as he is on the brink of being stripped of the role in the T20I format. Afridi was appointed captain of the T20I side after Pakistan’s poor ODI World Cup campaign with Babar Azam resigning. However, a poor run with the captain’s armband with the national side in New Zealand and then with Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) paved the way for his exit. It is reported that Afridi’s role in the T20I set-up is offered to former skipper Babar.

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Shaheen to face axe

After losing the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 4-1 and then leading Lahore Qalandars to a bottom-place finish in the PSL 2024, Afridi’s leadership qualities were questioned. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Babar earlier this week to offer the role after overseeing Afridi’s inability to work wonders with the captain’s armband. According to Espncricinfo, the decision will be confirmed in the coming hours leaving Pakistan cricket in turmoil.

As things stand, Babar is likely to return as the new skipper of the T20I side while the national side is without a designated captain for the ODI side. Shan Massod led the side in the three-match Test series against Australia in December and January.

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With the T20 World Cup just three months away, it will be another chaotic time for Pakistan cricket. The Men in Green have a good record in the T20 World Cup having been finalists in the 2022 edition in Australia. While they were the losing semifinalist in the 2021 edition in the UAE.

The writing was on the wall for Afridi since Naqvi refused to back him at a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, saying at the time a final decision would be made after Pakistan’s training camp with the military ended. Interestingly, the change in guard has also put the position of Masood in jeopardy as he too had a poor time during the Test series in Australia and lost all three matches.

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