LAHORE: Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf has defended its decision to remove Babar Azam from the captaincy after the team's disappointing ODI World Cup campaign in India.
Zaka also refuted former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi's claims that he had advised him to appoint Mohammad Rizwan as white-ball captain and not Shahid Afridi, who is his son-in-law.
Babar was recently re-appointed as the white-ball captain, while Shaheen was removed as the team leader after just one series.
"As per my recollection, Shahid (Afridi) never gave me any suggestion to appoint Rizwan as captain in the white-ball format," Zaka told the media in Lahore.
Shahid has claimed several times on television and in interviews that he never wanted Shaheen to take over the captaincy and in fact he suggested Zakat to make Rizwan the white-ball captain.
He said that he had never asked Babar to leave the captaincy of all formats after the World Cup.“It was his own decision. When I met him I told him clearly that everyone feels that the burden of leading in all formats is putting pressure on his performance and he should continue as a red-ball captain only,” Zak recalled. Did.
He said, "I told him that the board feels that the time has come to try someone else in the white-ball formats because he (Babar) has been given enough time in these formats for the last three years."
The former PCB chief said that it was Babar's decision to step down from captaincy in all formats. “He said that if he cannot captain in all formats then he would not even want to captain. Apparently he got this advice from people close to him, including his father and agent.,
Shan Masood was made the Test captain after the ICC event in India.
Zaka also criticized the decision to remove Shaheen as T20 captain after just one full series.
“It is unfair to him that he had just one series to prove himself and the pigs should have shown faith in him. I don't remove it. When you can give so much time to Babar as captain then why not Shaheen,'' he asked.
Zaka led the PCB's interim management committee from June 2023 to January 2024, before resigning after a controversial tenure in which he was accused of taking several unconstitutional decisions related to the way coaches and selectors were appointed Was.
Zaka also refuted former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi's claims that he had advised him to appoint Mohammad Rizwan as white-ball captain and not Shahid Afridi, who is his son-in-law.
Babar was recently re-appointed as the white-ball captain, while Shaheen was removed as the team leader after just one series.
"As per my recollection, Shahid (Afridi) never gave me any suggestion to appoint Rizwan as captain in the white-ball format," Zaka told the media in Lahore.
Shahid has claimed several times on television and in interviews that he never wanted Shaheen to take over the captaincy and in fact he suggested Zakat to make Rizwan the white-ball captain.
He said that he had never asked Babar to leave the captaincy of all formats after the World Cup.“It was his own decision. When I met him I told him clearly that everyone feels that the burden of leading in all formats is putting pressure on his performance and he should continue as a red-ball captain only,” Zak recalled. Did.
He said, "I told him that the board feels that the time has come to try someone else in the white-ball formats because he (Babar) has been given enough time in these formats for the last three years."
The former PCB chief said that it was Babar's decision to step down from captaincy in all formats. “He said that if he cannot captain in all formats then he would not even want to captain. Apparently he got this advice from people close to him, including his father and agent.,
Shan Masood was made the Test captain after the ICC event in India.
Zaka also criticized the decision to remove Shaheen as T20 captain after just one full series.
“It is unfair to him that he had just one series to prove himself and the pigs should have shown faith in him. I don't remove it. When you can give so much time to Babar as captain then why not Shaheen,'' he asked.
Zaka led the PCB's interim management committee from June 2023 to January 2024, before resigning after a controversial tenure in which he was accused of taking several unconstitutional decisions related to the way coaches and selectors were appointed Was.
