The PCB selection committee wanted to nominate Shaheen as
Babar Azam's deputy for the 2024 T20 World Cup, but the fast bowler declined.
Shaheen Afridi was offered the vice-captaincy of the Pakistan T20 team before
the World Cup selection release, but she declined. ESPNcricinfo has gathered
that the PCB selection committee proposed officially appointing Shaheen as
Babar Azam's deputy for the 2024 T20 World Cup, but the fast bowler declined.
In the end, the World Cup team, which was announced hours before the ICC's
deadline for submitting the final squad, lacked a formal vice-captain.
Though Shaheen chose to put the issue of being stripped of the T20 captaincy
after one series behind him, a sense of injustice remains. The player has never
felt that the reasons for his removal were sufficiently communicated to him,
and after being suddenly removed from one leadership position, he was known to
be reluctant to take on another.
The newest step in the PCB-Shaheen affair highlights the difficulties that lie
ahead in repairing a relationship that was severely strained a few weeks ago. PCB
chairman Mohsin Naqvi intimated at a press conference in March that Shaheen
would be replaced, and once he was, the PCB issued a statement on their website
including quotes from Shaheen encouraging Babar.
It would turn out that Shaheen never said the comments ascribed to him, and
when he decided to make that public, Naqvi rushed to Kakul, where the players
were attending a military training camp. While Shaheen remained genuinely
dissatisfied and deceived by the manner of his dismissal, an uneasy truce was believed
to have been achieved.
However, Shaheen's refusal to accept another leadership role indicates how fragile the truce remains. Shaheen is a member of the T20 team's core leadership group, but he believes he does not need to take on a formal role delineating it, especially because the position is a step down from the one he held only weeks ago.
Although Shaheen was their initial pick, the PCB selection committee considered other options. Shadab Khan, who has previously served as vice-captain, was one of the main possibilities, but his troubles with the ball, along with Pakistan's habit of not utilizing him with the bat in the top order, mean his spot in the XI is not guaranteed. The notion of proposing Mohammad Rizwan as Babar's deputy was also discussed, but finally rejected, as the committee preferred to appoint a younger player in the post.
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