Pakistan's former skipper Shaheen Afridi was removed from captaincy a few months before the T20 World Cup 2024 because of poor performance in the previous series. The Pakistan Cricket Board decided to go with Babar Azam for the captaincy role, who has past experience of leading the team. However, this decision didn't go well for the Men in Green as they failed to qualify for the Super 8 in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Shaheen finally spoke about how he felt after being replaced from the captaincy. He mentioned that he prioritized the country and not himself, which gave him the courage to play for Pakistan even after being removed from captaincy. He was magnificent during the World Cup captain, but the team failed miserably, blocking their path from qualifying further.
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"For me, Pakistan comes first. Then the team, and then me. I don’t live in the past, I stay in the present. I don’t think about the future because if your present is fine, then the future takes care of itself. Whether captaincy is given to me or taken away, these things are not in my control and I don’t play my cricket for these things," said Shaheen Afridi.
Pakistan to play next home series against Bangladesh in August
Before playing against India, Bangladesh is set to travel to Pakistan to play a 2-match Test series. Ahead of the ICC World Test Championship, all the games are quite important for the teams, and both teams look forward to doing their best. Currently, Pakistan is in the fifth position with 36.33% and can climb up if they win their upcoming matches.
On the other hand, Bangladesh's chances are also high if they win the series in Pakistan and later beat India. Bangladesh have played only four games and won one out of them. They are placed in the eighth position. However, only victories can help them climb up the points table.