The Afridi route again

Afridi was handed the reins after the PCB failed to reach consensus on appointing a young captain for T20


Editorial September 23, 2014

Mercurial all-rounder Shahid Afridi’s reappointment as the national Twenty20 captain completes a full circle for the mercurial cricketer after he was removed from the twin post of ODI and T20 captaincy by former PCB chief Ijaz Butt three years ago.

An incensed Afridi had decided to stay away from the team after Butt sent him packing following a tiff with coach Waqar Younis in 2011. Interestingly Waqar is also in the middle of his second stint as the head coach of the national team and the word is that he backed Afridi’s appointment at the helm after the post was left vacant by Mohammad Hafeez’s resignation on the back of the failure in this year’s WorldTwenty20 in Bangladesh.

Afridi was handed the reins after the PCB failed to reach consensus on appointing a young captain for the shortest format of the game. Sohaib Maqsood, the upcoming batsman from Multan who has made rapid strides in both ODI and T20 formats, was in contention for the coveted post, but PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan opted to go with the highly experienced Afridi — easily the most recognised Pakistani cricketer currently.

The all-rounder is leading the Dolphins in the ongoing regional T20 tournament in Karachi — in an effort to sharpen his captaincy skills further, besides proving to his detractors, his commitment to the game. The test at the international level also arrives shortly with Pakistan squaring up against the mighty Australians in the one-off T20 next month.

Afridi has to build a strong team and strike a consensus with the team management and selection committee led by his former Pakistan captain Moin Khan. Conversely the decision to hand Afridi the captain’s armband for two years (up to the 2016 WorldT20) has perplexed some of the pundits of the game who feel that the combination of an advancing age and a waning bowling form — the Afridi experiment is one that the PCB might rue in the days ahead.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2014.

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COMMENTS (4)

Moiz Baig | 9 years ago | Reply

Good decision, not that PCB had another choice. Afridi should focus solely on T20s after 2015 WC. Also PCB must identify youngsters like Maqsood, Shahzad or Fawad to take on the reigns once Misbah and Afridi retire. No point oin handing over captaincy to a younger guy before properly grooming them.

Bhatti | 9 years ago | Reply

@Proud to be Muslim: You must be kidding me. His commitment is for himself. He has never played for the team that's why he goes and tries to hit every ball for a six. Insane person and a insane captain. PCB has no clue what they are doing. You try to be a good muslim , cricket is not your cup of team since you don't understand it much.

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