Shaheen Afridi contemplates quitting as T20 captain

LAHORE: Disappointed that he was not involved in discussions concerning Pakistan cricket and his future as T20 skipper, fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi is contemplating stepping down as captain.

A well-informed source close to Shaheen said that the bowler was upset that not even once the PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi or the national selectors have spoken to him about their future plans as far as the captaincy or appointment of coaches is concerned.

"Shaheen is rightly upset as being the national T20 captain he expected that even if the board/selectors wanted to remove him they have the decency to also inform him for the reasons behind this and keep him in the loop about everything," the source said.

The source said Shaheen was disappointed that he was not kept in loop as PCB chief held discussions with the national selectors and Babar Azam this week to discuss the T20 World Cup, appointment of coaches and captaincy.

"Shaheen believes that if the Board wants to remove him they should have informed him by now as he is even willing to step down himself. In fact now he has been advised by some of his close ones to do this and step away from all the chaos and confusion being caused by the Board," the source said.

Shaheen was named T20 captain after the World Cup in India last November when Zaka Ashraf was heading the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Shaheen's appointment was made on the basis of his ability to lead Lahore Qalandars franchise in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to two successive titles.

But after being named captain, Shaheen lost the T20 series in New Zealand 1-4 and also couldn’t repeat his magic with Qalandars as they finished at the bottom of the table in the recent PSL.

Shaheen, who is in the training camp in Kakul under the supervision of Army trainers is expected to hold frank talks with other senior players including Babar, Muhammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Fakhar Zaman on the captaincy issue and then make a final call himself.