‘Shaheen Afridi Shouldn’t be in T20I Team’: Former Pakistan Captain Slams Pacer After T20 World Cup Debacle

Former Pakistan player Rashid Latif has stated that fast bowler Shaheen Afridi doesn’t deserve to become to the T20I captain. He even added that the left-arm pacer doesn’t deserve to be a part of the T20I team. 

“Now everyone is saying that Shaheen should not be the ODI captain. He shouldn’t even be in the T20I team. People are now saying that he should become the captain of the T20I side after the World Cup debacle,” Latif said.

“Yes, he should have been earlier, but now he doesn’t deserve a place in the T20I team. People are running a campaign to have him be the captain of the T20I team instead of ODIs. He doesn’t even deserve a place. Now, the time is over,” he added.

Pakistan had a horrible run during the T20 World Cup 2026 including a thumping defeat against arch-rivals India. The Men in Green who were led by Salman Ali Agha were eliminated in the Super 8 stage. The clash against New Zealand was washed out while they lost to England. 

The encounter against Sri Lanka became a virtual quarter-final for Pakistan and they needed a win with a bigger margin. Pakistan rode on an exceptional batting performance from Sahibzada Farhan who notched up a hundred to post 212/8 in 20 overs. Fakhar Zaman struck 84 off 42. Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka at 147 or less. 

Later, Pakistan bowlers too chipped in and picked up early wickets before Dasun Shanaka took the onus on himself. The right-handed batter hammered the Pakistan bowlers and especially Shaheen Afridi all around the park. Needing 28 in the final over, Shanaka smashed 22 in the first four deliveries before failing to get runs on the final two balls. Pakistan eventually restricted Sri Lanka at 207/6 in 20 overs and won the match by 5 runs but bowed out for the tournament because of their NRR. 

Shaheen Afridi’s Performance

The ODI skipper Shaheen Afridi didn’t really have an impressive run in the World Cup. In five matches, Shaheen only picked up 8 wickets with his best performance coming against England. He scalped four wickets for 30 runs in that match. 

ODI Series Defeat

Pakistan’s dismal run even continued in ODIs. The side locked horns with Bangladesh in a three-match series where they lost 1-2. 

Earlier, Shahid Afridi blasted the country’s selection committee and held them responsible for the ODI series loss against Bangladesh.

“You saw the performances in the 2026 T20 World Cup, and after that we also lost the Bangladesh series 2–1. In my opinion, the selection committee deserves criticism. All of you in the committee have played so much cricket, yet you still don’t seem to have the idea of who should be the captain for which format,” Afridi said.

Bangladesh won the first match while Pakistan made it all square in second before losing the decider that went down the wire. 

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