Shadab Khan calls for continuity in leadership in Pakistan cricket

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has asked for continuity in the team’s
captaincy to achieve better results after reports came on Shaheen Afridi’s role as T20I skipper is going in jeopardy. However, Afridi took over the reins as Pakistan’s T20I captain at the end of last year after Babar Azam stepped down.

But, he didn’t have a good series as he led the side in the lone series against New Zealand, where they suffered a 1-4 defeat. After that, the Afridi-led Lahore Qalandars faced a last-place finish in the ongoing 2024 PSL, winning only one of their ten games.

Shadab Khan backs Shaheen Afridi

While speaking at the post-match press conference after Islamabad United’s
win to advance to the grand finale, their captain Shadab Khan shared the complexities in Pakistan’s captaincy as well.

“Even now, look, we’ve given Shaheen a series, and we’re contemplating changing his captaincy. It shouldn’t be like this because in the long term, one should be given a chance to captain properly according to his process, his method. Because we want to experiment, win series as well, which could lead to issues,” said Shadab.

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However, Shaheen Afridi’s appointment as T20I captain came on the back of his successfully leading the Qalandars to back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 as well.
Pakistan’s next T20I assignment is a five-match series against New Zealand at home, followed by a four-match T20I series against England before the World
Cup in June as well.

“Whenever you bring someone in, things can’t change immediately” – Shadab Khan

However, Shadab Khan also requested adequate time for a new captain,
allowing him to learn rather than looking for immediate results as well. Before Afridi, Babar Azam led the T20I side, winning 42 of his 71 games as well. He also led the team in the semi-final and final of the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups.

“Whenever you bring someone in, things can’t change immediately. It takes time. We want many things to change immediately, but that’s not how it works; it’s a process. In this process, there are mostly failures in the beginning, and it’s important to see how we accept those failures. A captain has his own thought process, and right now, it’s unclear because discussions about changing the captain after just one series. With the World Cup, I think we need to identify players for the long run so that by the time we reach the World Cup, our issues are resolved,” he concluded.