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Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi is set to hold talks with Shaheen Shah Afridi over the star pacer's remarks released in a PCB statement regarding the recent captaincy changes in the 'Men in Green', according to GeoNews on Monday.
On Sunday, PCB reinstated Babar Azam as the captain of the white-ball format ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, which is slated to begin on June 1 in the USA and the West Indies. PCB released a statement to announce Babar as the skipper of the Pakistan men's team. The statement also included Afridi's quotes, which stated that it was his "duty" to back Babar. "It was an absolute honour to captain the Pakistan National Cricket Team. I will always cherish the memories and the opportunity. As a team player, it is my duty to back our captain, Babar Azam. I have played under his captaincy and have nothing but respect for him. I will try to help him on and off the field. We are all one. Our aim is the same, to help Pakistan become the best team in the world," the PCB said in a statement, quoting Afridi, which he denied, according to GeoNews. On Monday, the sources told Geo News that Aridi is "furious" regarding the matter and will share his concerns during the meeting with Naqvi. "The former skipper had drafted a detailed rejoinder in this regard but was stopped at the last moment, Afridi has been asked by the PCB to not speak on the matter," the sources told Geo News. "Shaheen Afridi came to know about his quotes through social media and he was surprised that how come this is being broadcast everywhere," they added. Afridi was handed the T20I captaincy based on his performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he led the Lahore Qalandars to consecutive title wins in 2022 and 2023. After being appointed in November 2023, Afridi had only led Pakistan in a single T20I series against New Zealand earlier this year. In his debut captaincy series, Pakistan were outplayed throughout the series and ended up suffering a 4-1 defeat. Afridi's potential to lead also came under scrutiny during the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which was held earlier this year. Under his leadership, Lahore Qalandars won a single game in ten matches and finished at the bottom of the table. (ANI)
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