Shahid Afridi No Longer Wants Babar Azam as Captain

The 2024 ICC T20 World Cup did not go well for the Pakistan cricket team. Babar Azam's team exited before the Super Eight, losing to the United States and India. This sparked intense criticism of Babar Azam's leadership. Many no longer want to see Babar as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, and former captain Shahid Afridi has now joined that list.

Shahid Afridi is currently in Birmingham, playing for Pakistan in the World Legends Championship. From there, he spoke to the media about Babar Azam's captaincy, stating that it is time to select a new captain.

He said, "If I talk about Babar, I would say that no other captain has had as much time and opportunity as he has. I think the time has come to appoint a new captain and support him properly."

Afridi emphasized that no other captain has received as much opportunity as Babar Azam, stating, "I have captained the Pakistan team, Younis Khan has captained, and Misbah-ul-Haq has captained. None of us had as much time and opportunity as Babar Azam has been given. The PCB should have removed Babar Azam from captaincy right after the World Cup."

Afridi also stated that it is high time Babar Azam is relieved of his captaincy duties, saying, "Babar Azam has been given plenty of opportunities. He has captained in two or three World Cups and two or three Asia Cups. Now, he should be removed. In my opinion, the new captain should be given enough time."

Afridi believes that the new captain should receive full support from the PCB, saying, "Just appointing a captain is not enough; the Pakistan Cricket Board must give full support. In my opinion, whatever decision is made should be given time to be proven right or wrong, whether it is a coach, captain, or anyone else. This applies to everyone."