After a disappointing Cricket World Cup, the Pakistan cricket team made significant changes on Wednesday. Captain Babar Azam resigned, and Shan Masood became the Test captain, while Shaheen Afridi took over the T20I team. Pakistan lost five out of nine matches and did not qualify for the semifinals. Babar had a tough tournament, scoring 320 runs in 9 matches.

Former captain Shahid Afridi, who is also Shaheen Afridi’s father-in-law, shared his thoughts on the captaincy change. “I didn’t see the need for changing the captain so soon. The Prime Minister and I discussed cricket and captaincy. I suggested that Babar shouldn’t be replaced yet. For white-ball captaincy, I thought Mohammad Rizwan would be ideal. I’ve said this before. I spoke to the PCB chairman, recommending Babar for red-ball captaincy and Rizwan for ODIs and T20Is. It’s Mohammad Hafeez and the chairman’s decision,” Afridi said on SAMAA TV.

He clarified, “Regarding Shaheen becoming the T20 captain, I never wanted to influence such decisions due to my relation with him. I’ve never supported Shaheen for captaincy. I haven’t lobbied for him. I want to make it clear that I’ve never backed Shaheen for captaincy.”

Meanwhile, Babar Azam emotionally announced his decision on social media. “I vividly remember when PCB asked me to lead Pakistan in 2019. Over the past four years, I’ve experienced highs and lows but aimed to maintain Pakistan’s pride. Reaching number 1 in white-ball cricket was a collective effort. I’m stepping down as captain in all formats. It’s a difficult decision, but the right time for this call,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).