Hyderabad: A report published by ESPNcricinfo has revealed that Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi has rejected the offer from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to be deputy of the captain Babar Azam for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The tournament will be played in the USA and West Indies and a 15-player squad for the tournament has been announced with Babar Azam leading the side.
The report states that the PCB selection committee raised the prospect of naming Shaheen Afridi as Babar's deputy for the marquee tournament. However, the left-arm pacer refused the offer from the PCB and so the squad was named without naming the vice-captain.
The report further adds that the sense of injustice continuously lingered over the player's mind and he wasn't interested in taking another position after being unceremoniously dumped from the captaincy last month. Although Shaheen was the first choice for PCB, they also discussed the names of Shadab Khan and Mohammed Rizwan for the role.
Shaheen was appointed as the Pakistan skipper after Babar Azam stepped down from the role after the national side's disappointing performance in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. However, a crushing series defeat against New Zealand and a poor performance in the Pakistan Super League from Shaheen-led Lahore Qalanders saw Shaheen being stripped of the leadership. Babar was reinstated as the skipper.
Pakistan will kick off their campaign in the T20 World Cup on June 6 against the USA at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas.
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