Shaheen Afridi in action during 2024 T20 World Cup. (Pic: Getty)

Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi has made it clear that he doesn’t think about leading the Men in Green in international cricket. He mentioned that captaincy is something that is not in his control.

Shaheen emphasized that his main goal is to win matches for Pakistan. Stating that he has never played his cricket intending to chase captaincy, here’s what the left-arm seamer said during a media interaction in Karachi:

“Pakistan is first and foremost for me, then it’s the team, and I come after that. I don’t like to think about the past. My job is to be in the present and I don’t think about the future. If your present is good, you can be well-prepared for the future. Captaincy is not in my hands and I have never played my cricket for captaincy. I want to play cricket for Pakistan and I will do that with dignity.”

It is worth mentioning that Shaheen Afridi was appointed as Pakistan’s T20I skipper after Babar Azam relinquished captaincy across formats following the team’s group-stage exit at the 2023 ODI World Cup. He led Pakistan in an away-from-home five-match series against New Zealand earlier this year, which the Blackcaps won 4-1.

Shaheen got just one series to prove his worth as Babar was reinstated as Pakistan’s white-ball captain ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

“I don’t know if I’m being dropped” – Shaheen Afridi on Pakistan’s Test series against Bangladesh

According to a report from Geo News, Shaheen Afridi was involved in a heated exchange with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf during Pakistan’s tour of England and Ireland earlier this year.

The fast bowler was also reportedly under the scanner for his non-cooperative during the 2024 T20 World Cup, allegedly refusing to take part in team meetings. Reports from the Pakistani media suggested that Shaheen could face disciplinary action and might be left out of the squad for the team’s upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.

Commenting on the series, Shaheen stated that he was unaware if he was going to be dropped or not. He was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan:

“I don’t know if I’m being dropped from the Test series [against Bangladesh]. My role is to play cricket, and I would do that with dignity.”

Pakistan will host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series. The first match will be played at Rawalpindi from August 21.