Shahid Afridi defends son-in-law Shaheen Afridi amid rumours of Pakistan mulling change in T20I captaincy

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Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has defended son-in-law Shaheen Shah Afridi amid rumours that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was planning to remove the left-arm pacer as Pakistan T20I captain.

Shaheen Afridi was named the Pakistan T20I captain as Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy across all formats following the World Cup 2023. Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC event held in India last year.

"I think that if you have appointed someone as captain (Shaheen) and given him the responsibility then give him time as well," Afridi told the media here on Tuesday.

"The biggest problem with our cricket is that our system changes whenever the faces change in the board. Whoever comes thinks whatever he is doing is the best for Pakistan cricket," said Afridi.

Afridi remarked that Shaheen should be given adequate time to prove himself. "If you change the captain then either the decision to appoint him was wrong or the decision to change him now is wrong," he added.

Afridi was seen as one of the main driving forces behind the appointment of Shaheen as the national T20 captain after last year's ODI World Cup India. However, Shaheen flunked in his first Test as Pakistan lost a T20I series against New Zealand by a 1-4 margin.

Afridi also backed the appointment of a foreign coach but said he should be a high-profile person like Andy Flower, who has a great track record.

"I believe that even if you bring in a foreign coach, the staff under him should be Pakistani so that our people can also move forward and improve their skills," he said.

Asked about the decision to include Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir in the national training camp, Afridi felt it would have been better to first assess their fitness.

"But I can tell you that if they can come through this two-week training camp in Kakul they will be supermen," he said. Amir, back from retirement after 2020, has also backed Shaheen as T20 captain. He tweeted, "Shaheen is not bad and I think he should be given time to prove his credentials."

(With PTI Inputs)