'Honoured And Thrilled': Shaheen Shah Afridi Looking Forward To Leading Pakistan In T20I Cricket

Pakistan's pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi remains incredibly excited to lead them in T20I cricket after being succeeding Babar Azam, as announced by the PCB on November 15th (Wednesday). The left-arm pacer took to his official handle on X, expressing his desire to give his best and bring as much glory to the nation.

Babar stepped down as the captain of Pakistan across formats, with a statement on his official handle of X. The 29-year-old had captained Pakistan in the 2023 World Cup, but the team exited the tournament in the group stage yet again, drawing flak from former cricketers and fans. The right-hander entered the tournament as the No.1 ranked ODI batter, but managed a decent 320 runs in 9 innings with 4 half-centuries.

Taking to X, Afridi wrote:

"I am honoured and thrilled to lead our national T20 cricket team. Thank you to the Pakistan cricket board and fans for their trust and support. I'll give my best to uphold the team spirit and bring glory to our nation on the cricket field. Our success lies in unity, trust and relentless effort. We are not just a team; we are a brotherhood, a family. Together, we rise! #Pakistanzindabad

Shaheen Shah Afridi has captained Lahore Qalandars to 2 PSL titles:

The 23-year-old notably has some captaincy experience, albeit in T20I cricket, having led the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The Lahore-based franchise have won two successive titles in 2022 and 2023 under the paceman.

The left-arm paceman has had a promising T20I career, thus far, taking 64 scalps in 52 T20Is at 22.73.