PCB appoints Shaheen Afridi as Pakistan’s T20I captain, Masood to lead Test side | Cricket

Babar Azam dropped a captaincy bombshell after Pakistan suffered a premature exit from the ICC World Cup 2023 in India on Wednesday. During India’s semi-final encounter with New Zealand, former world no.1 batter Babar took to social media to confirm his resignation. After Pakistan’s mediocre performance at the One Day International (ODI) World Cup, Babar said that he has relinquished the captaincy from all formats.

After Babar’s mega announcement, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the appointment of pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20I captain of the Green Army. While speedster Afridi will lead Pakistan in the shortest format, Shan Masood is set to lead the Asian side in Test cricket. “Presenting our captains @shani_official has been appointed Test captain while @iShaheenAfridi will lead the T20I side,” PCB said.

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Masood, who made his Test debut against South Africa at Sheikh Zayed Stadium back in 2013, has only played 30 Test matches for Pakistan. The newly-appointed Pakistan Test skipper has scored 1597 runs in 30 red-ball international games. Averaging just 28.52, the 34-year-old has registered seven half-centuries and four centuries in Test cricket. Babar’s successor in T20I cricket, pacer ace Afridi has featured in 52 games in the shortest format. The star pacer has also represented Pakistan in 27 Tests and 53 One Day Internationals (ODIs).

Babar opens up on resignation

“It’s a difficult decision but I feel it is a right time for this call,” Babar wrote on X. Former Pakistan skipper Babar was leading the Green Army across all formats since November 2019. The star batter masterminded Pakistan’s first-ever win over India in World Cup cricket back in 2021. Under his leadership, Pakistan made it to the final of the ICC World T20 last year in Australia. However, Babar’s Pakistan capped off forgetful campaigns in this year’s Asia Cup and ICC World Cup.

Babar will continue to represent Pakistan across formats

Babar’s men finished fifth in the World Cup standings with four wins and five defeats. Two days after Pakistan bowling coach Morne Morkel stepped down, PCB accepted Babar’s resignation. “I will continue to represent Pakistan as a player in all three formats. I am here to support the new captain and the team with my experience and dedication,” Babar said.