Shoaib Malik backs Shahid Afridi as captain for upcoming ICC World Cup

Shoaib Malik backs Shahid Afridi as captain for upcoming ICC World Cup

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik believes that flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi is the best man to lead Pakistan in the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup.

Speaking to the media, Malik threw his weight behind the thirty year old.

“Afridi should be retained as captain for the World Cup. The change in captaincy at this stage is in no way in the interest of the team,” Malik said.

With less than three weeks left before the start of the mega-event, the Greens are still without a captain. The Pakistan Cricket Board announced a final 15-man squad for the World Cup without naming the captain.

Even though Afridi has been tipped to retain the captaincy, there are speculations that the all-rounder may be replaced by Misbahul Haq. Over the past year Misbahul Haq has led the Test side, while Shahid Afridi is the captain of the limited-over team.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has come under fire for the delay in announcement. Malik, who is not part of the 15-man squad for the World Cup, believes that changing the captain would not be a good decision for the team. He added that it was not necessary to
appoint Misbah as captain on the basis of his Test performance alone.

Other former players have also backed Afridi. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif, who is currently coaching Afghanistan’s cricket team, has termed Afridi the best man to lead the team. Latif said that Misbah has a defensive strategy which may not
be suitable for the one-day format.

Former skipper, Inzamam-ul-Haq has said that the delay in announcing the captain has led to the creation of factions within the national side, and was hurting its preparations for the mega event.

Meanwhile, Pakistan cricket coach Waqar Younis was forced to issue an apology to the PCB after questioning the board’s tactics. Younis had criticized the board for a delay in naming the captain and said that it would only cause disharmony in the team.

Amid the chaos, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt has gone to New Zealand, where he is keenly observing the team’s performance. Butt is expected to sort out the captaincy issue after meeting key players and team officials. He also met with the board’s
Chief Operating Officer, Subhan Ahmed in Lahore earlier in the week.

Well-informed sources in the board told the media “After getting all the feedback and suggestions, the PCB chief knows that it would be a risky move to change the ODI captain at this stage.”

The scales tilted in favour of Afridi after the explosive batsman smashed 65 off only 25 deliveries, during Pakistan’s third ODI match against New Zealand. His whirlwind century comprised of five fours and five sixes.

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