Leadership changes are synonymous with Pakistan cricket, and when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the mistake earlier this year, there were intense reports of a rift between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi and groupism in the team.
Following Pakistan’s early exit from the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Babar Azam was stripped of the captaincy across the format. Shan Masood was later named as Pakistan’s Test captain, with Shaheen taking over as the T20I captain, but only for a few months.
Following the Men in Green’s poor performance in a couple of T20I series, the PCB removed Shaheen and reappointed Babar as the white-ball captain ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean.
Zaka Ashraf: There is no rift between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi
There was speculation that all was not well between the two and that the team would be split into groups. However, the whole drama began with the appointment of Babar as captain.
This discord disrupted Pakistan’s team unity, and even during the 2024 T20 World Cup, white-ball coach Gary Kirsten openly claimed that there was no unity in the team and that players were not supporting each other, playing only for themselves, not the team.
Amid the ongoing Test series against Bangladesh at home, former PCB chief Zaka Ashraf denied any bad blood between Babar Azam and Shaheen and even claimed that the team unity improved when the star pacer was named as the T20I captain.
Ashraf told Samaa TV: “No, the unit did not end (after removing Babar Azam as captain). In fact, the unit improved. When we told him to play as a player, which is his talent, but as a captain, his performance is not good, he agreed.”
Babar Azam’s dismissal has sparked intense debates about the team dynamics, with many claiming that the team has a group spirit. Zaka Ashraf has denied the rumours and claimed that the team was not divided into groups when he was the PCB chief, and he even took the decision to name Afridi as the team captain in the T20Is.
Former PCB chief Zaka Ashraf says there was no groupism after captaincy changes
He also praised Test captain Masood and former team manager Mohammad Hafeez and called him a very honest man who had earlier claimed that players did not support the support staff and even they slept during Test matches in Australia.
With a strong support system of former players like Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, the coaching staff and management were appointed to lead the team to success, said the former PCB chief, who was later replaced by Mohsin Naqvi.
Zaka Ashraf further revealed, “No, there was no grouping. The team was good. And we brought Shan Masood as captain. He was a very good captain. He is still a very good player. He is still captain for England counties. And I named Shaheen Shah as captain of the T20I team. That was also a very good decision.”
Zaka Ashraf concluded by saying, “And we brought in our management, along with the team, Mohammad Hafeez, an excellent cricketer, a very honest person. We brought in Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal and these players as the coaching staff to be with the team.”
Muhammad Zaka Ashraf believes replacing Babar Azam with Shaheen Afridi as captain was a smart decision. #SamaaTV image.twitter.com/bcwrPLdcgO
— SAMAA TV (@SAMAATV) September 2, 2024
