"Never played for captaincy.." Shaheen Afridi breaks his silence on Pakistan captaincy snub

Shaheen Afridi captained the Pakistan cricket team in just one T20I series against New Zealand.

Pakistan left-arm speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi has opened up on his removal from the T20I captaincy post. In November 2023, the left-arm speedster took over the reins from Babar Azam to become the new T20I captain.

It was expected that the 24-year-old Shaheen Afridi would lead the Pakistan cricket team in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. But before the global event, Shaheen was sacked from his T20I skipper post and Babar Azam was re-appointed as the captain in the shortest format.

The change in captaincy didn’t work for Pakistan as they failed miserably in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The Men in Green were eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. The Babar-led side lost their group-stage matches against co-hosts the United States of America and arch-rivals India.

I don’t play my cricket for these things: Shaheen Shah Afridi

The left-arm speedster Shaheen led Pakistan in only one T20I series. Shaheen captained the side during a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which the Men in Green lost 4-1.

Reflecting on the T20I captaincy snub, the 24-year-old said that the captaincy decisions were not in his control and that he doesn’t play with these things in his mind.

“For me, Pakistan comes first. Then the team, and then me. I don’t live in the past, I stay in the present,” Shaheen said during a media interaction.

“I don’t think about the future because if your present is fine, then the future takes care of itself. Whether captaincy is given to me or taken away, these things are not in my control and I don’t play my cricket for these things,” Shaheen added.

The star pacer further said that he didn’t look at the negative reports written against him. Shaheen added that he intends to always fight and give his best for the national side.

“I play cricket to serve Pakistan, and I’ll play it with respect and will win more games for Pakistan. I don’t look at the negative reports [written about me]. Because if I look at them, then how will I perform for Pakistan. My intention has always been to fight for the side, and I’ll keep fighting. I don’t look at negative things. For as long as I play, I’ll do it with pride for Pakistan,” Shaheen concluded.

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