Shaheen Shah Afridi recently disclosed the process by which he was appointed captain of the 50-over squad. On October 20, the left-arm bowler took Rizwan’s spot as Pakistan’s ODI captain. He helped Pakistan win the three-match contest against South Africa in his debut bilateral series as full-time captain.
Shaheen said that just he and the wicketkeeper-batter were involved in the decision, which was made jointly. Shaheen claimed that Rizwan was prepared to relinquish the responsibilities.
“After speaking with Rizwan about the situation, I accepted this duty from the Pakistan Cricket Board. The only person I spoke to was Rizwan, and I asked him what he thought of me taking the captaincy.
“It worked out because Rizwan made the decision to give me space,” Shaheen said, as reported by India Today.
Shaheen discussed how everyone, not just a chosen few, should take responsibility for the team’s performance and improvement. Additionally, he made it clear that Rizwan and others will have support and ample opportunity to perform.
“If you want to grow as a team, everyone must accept responsibility. You can’t keep stating that Babar, Rizwan, or Fakhar will do it; we need to work together and accept accountability. Since 2023, Rizwan has been Pakistan’s best scorer in one-day matches. In order for players who are struggling to perform well in upcoming games, we are attempting to support them,” he continued.
In three consecutive ODIs against the Proteas, Shaheen claimed three wickets. The first and third ODIs were won by Pakistan by two and seven wickets, respectively. The ODI series between the Green Shirts and Sri Lanka is presently being played at home.
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