Cricket News

‘All credit goes to Sasur ji’- Fans react as Shaheen Shah Afridi reacts on becoming Pakistan’s white-ball captain

In what is a significant move, the Pakistan Cricket Board have entrusted the captaincy of both the T20 and ODI teams to the young and talented Shaheen Afridi, who is the leader of their pace attack. Afridi, who is just 23 years old, has already established himself as one of the most dangerous pace bowlers in the world, and his leadership qualities are also beginning to shine through. He has led his PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars to two titles in 2022 and 2023.

The appointment came in the wake of Babar Azam’s resignation as captain across all three formats following a disastrous run in the ongoing ODI World Cup in which Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the reins of the Test side have been handed over to the 34-year-old Shan Masood.

Shaheen Afridi’s statement after his appointment as T20 captain

Afridi today put out a statement on social media acknowledging the appointment and promising that he would do his best to bring glory to the country which has a rich cricketing history. “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!”, he wrote.

Fan reactions to Shaheen Afridi’s appointment as Pakistan’s T20 and ODI captain were mixed. Some felt that the 23-year-old was too young for the role, while others argued that the team needed fresh energy and a new direction, which Afridi could bring. Only time will tell whether Afridi’s appointment was the right decision, but his first assignment as captain will be a challenging five-match T20I series against New Zealand from January 12 to 21.

Here, we look at how ‘X-verse’ reacted to his statement:

Congratulations Shaheen! The captaincy of Pakistan is like a crown of a thorns though. Hope you can handle without losing out on your bowling skills. The internal politics seems to have affected it already but all the best once you are a captain now.

— Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) November 16, 2023

But honestly you don't deserves to be T20 Captain

After Babar Azam, if anyone deserved the captaincy, it was Rizwan

— Adv. Mian Omer🇵🇰 (@Iam_Mian) November 16, 2023

https://twitter.com/irfan2irfan2/status/1725084009171157146

https://twitter.com/SaadIrfan258/status/1725083450464465282

https://twitter.com/Inamullah844/status/1725084635481112581

Best wishes for you and take advices from king Babar to be successful pic.twitter.com/7EFaosPCEi

— HAMZA (@huh_shutup) November 16, 2023

Congratulations 👏❤️
Will support you as Captain, But Babar Azam will be our Forever Captain 😭 pic.twitter.com/sVAmfXrruS

— H A M Z A 🇵🇰 | 𝐑𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐳𝐳 𝐁𝐝𝐲 🎂❤️🥳 (@HamzaKhan259) November 16, 2023

Sorry to say but you don't deserve this you are best bowler we know that… but Captaincy is not a joke ! After Babar Azam just Muhammad Rizwan is left for Captaincy!!

— nooriihehe (@noorhopes) November 16, 2023