Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Zaka Ashraf, recently addressed rumors of a rift between Pakistan’s star cricketers, Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, regarding captaincy.
Ashraf clarified that there were no disagreements between the two, even after he appointed Afridi as the T20 captain. He stated, “There were no differences between Babar Azam or Shaheen. In fact, the unity within the team strengthened. When we asked Babar to focus on his strengths as a player rather than captaincy, he accepted it.”
Ashraf defended his decision to appoint Shan Masood as the Test captain and Shaheen Afridi as the T20 captain, saying, “Shan Masood is an excellent captain and a talented player, proven by his leadership in England’s county cricket. Shaheen Afridi as T20 captain was also a well-thought-out decision.”
It is worth noting that Babar Azam, who has been a top-tier batsman for Pakistan, recently slipped out of the top 10 in the ICC Test Rankings for the first time in five years. This drop followed Pakistan’s disappointing 2-0 home series loss to Bangladesh, where Babar managed only 64 runs across four innings. Pakistan’s team also fell to eighth place in the ICC Test Team Rankings, their lowest since 1965.
Bangladesh made history with their first-ever series win over Pakistan, securing a 2-0 sweep after a six-wicket victory in the second Test in Rawalpindi. Chasing 185 to win, Bangladesh reached their target with the loss of four wickets, sealing the match just before tea on the final day.
Pakistan’s back-to-back defeats caused a significant drop in their Test ranking, leaving them in eighth place with 76 rating points.
