Shaheen refused vice-captaincy on suggestion of Shahid Afridi, claim sources

Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has refused the offer of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to become deputy of skipper Babar Azam, sources said on Saturday.

However, sources added that the 24-year-old bowler turned down the offer after consulting with former Pakistan skipper and his father-in-law Shahid Afridi.

According to sources, Shaheen was not happy with his removal as captain just after five matches.

Earlier in March, the cricket body replaced Shaheen with Babar as the white-ball captain.

The 29-year-old batter was reselected as skipper on the recommendation of the newly formed selection committee.

Following the conclusion of the ICC World Cup 2023, Babar was removed from the captaincy across formats with Shaheen Shah Afridi taking the realm of the shorter format and Shan Masood becoming Test captain.

Shaheen was appointed by the then-PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, however, the change in the board's top leadership also took away the 24-year-old pacer's skippership.

Sources close to Shaheen confirmed that the pacer had declined the PCB's offer.

Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is now a strong candidate for the vice-captain post, sources added.

A day earlier, PCB announced the 15-member squad for T20 World Cup 2024, which is set to kick start on June 9 in the United States and West Indies.

Pakistan's Squad:

Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.