Former player Shahid Afridi has criticized Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Friday for accepting the T20 World Cup captaincy after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had removed Shaheen Shah Afridi from the role. Afridi’s comments came in the wake of Pakistan‘s group-stage exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which was caused by the washout of the match between the USA and Ireland due to heavy rain in Florida.

Shahid opined that Babar should have turned down the PCB chief’s offer to captain Pakistan and instead had supported Shaheen’s leadership. Shahid believed this would have set a powerful precedent. However, the legendary all-rounder declined to solely blame Babar, noting that some selectors had questioned Babar’s captaincy skills after the ODI World Cup.

“Babar Azam should have firmly acknowledged, if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had decided to keep Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain until the T20 World Cup. Babar could have stated that he and the team are willing to play under Shaheen’s captaincy, as they have played together for a long time,” remarked Afridi.

“Babar should have given his firm backing for the committee-chosen captain, agreeing to play under Shaheen’s leadership. This would have significantly raised Babar’s respect, as he would have set a remarkable example of leadership and team unity,” he continued.

“The selection committee is partially to blame for Babar’s performance as few selectors openly declared that Babar does not have the necessary captaincy abilities,” he further added.

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign under Babar’s leadership came to a premature end in the group stage this year – a stark contrast to their recent successes, having reached the semifinals in 2021 and the final in 2022. In the ongoing tournament, they suffered a shock Super Over loss to the USA and then collapsed in their run chase against India.

Pakistan, who defeated Canada on Tuesday, will take on Ireland in Florida on Sunday in their last group match.