'Babar’s respect would’ve increased': Shahid Afridi finally speaks out for son-in-law Shaheen Afridi

Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has weighed in on the team's disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign and the leadership issues that have emerged. Afridi, speaking on his YouTube channel, addressed the controversy surrounding Shaheen Shah Afridi's captaincy and Babar Azam's role in supporting it.

Pakistan have been eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024. Earlier, in the tournament, Pakistan lost to the United States, which is not even an ICC full member nation. Pakistan also lost arch-rivals India once again in the World Cups. 

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Shahid Afridi finally opens up on Shaheen-Babar captaincy saga 

Shahid Afridi had said that he would talk about the issues within the Pakistan team after their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign is over. 

“If the decision on Shaheen’s captaincy had been made and the PCB had stated that he will remain the captain till the T20 World Cup, then I think Babar should have supported Shaheen,” Shahid Afridi said. 

“He should have said, ‘No, if you have made him the captain, then we are ready to play under his leadership because Shaheen has been playing with me for a long time. If he is made captain and the selection committee has chosen him, then yes, I will support him and play under his captaincy.’ This move would have greatly increased Babar’s respect.”

Shahid Afridi also pointed out that the situation was not entirely Babar's fault. “Some of the blame lies with the selection committee too since some selectors on record said that Babar doesn’t know how to captain,” he added.

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Pakistan's early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024 has sparked much debate and criticism. The team's internal conflicts, highlighted by divisions among players and leadership struggles, have been cited as significant factors behind their poor performance. With Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi leading different factions within the team, the lack of unity and support has been detrimental.

As Pakistan cricket fans reflect on the team's T20 World Cup 2024 disaster, Shahid Afridi's comments underscore the need for strong, unified leadership and better decision-making by the PCB to prevent such issues in future tournaments.