Last Updated:March 17, 2026, 06:36 IST
Shaheen Shah Afridi was appointed as Pakistan’s ODI captain last year, and under his leadership, the Men in Green suffered a 1-2 defeat in the ODI series against Bangladesh.
Shahid Afridi slams PAK selectors for making Shaheen Shah Afridi ODI captain. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Legendary Pakistani all-rounder and former white-ball captain Shahid Afridi has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for making his son-in-law Shaheen Shah Afridi the new ODI captain of Pakistan’s men’s cricket team. The left-arm pacer was appointed for the top job by Pakistani selectors last year, and under Shaheen’s leadership, Pakistan suffered a shocking defeat (1-2) in the away series against Bangladesh last week.
Afridi, who represented Pakistan for almost two decades, took to X to post a video in which he slammed the PCB and Pakistan’s selection committee for their decision-making, which also includes dropping players who have performed well in ODIs in the name of surgery.
According to Shahid, “You saw the performances in the 2026 T20 World Cup, and after that we also lost the Bangladesh series 2–1. In my opinion, the selection committee deserves criticism. All of you in the committee have played so much cricket, yet you still don’t seem to have the idea of who should be the captain for which format.”
“You keep making too many decisions in the name of ‘surgery’. What you are doing is picking youngsters and players who have barely played a few first class matches. Your domestic cricket is not even of that standard that it can consistently produce players ready to secure a place in the Pakistan team. The senior players who actually deserved their place even if they didn’t have strong T20 performances had very good records in ODIs. But in the name of ‘surgery’, you sidelined those experienced players despite their solid ODI performances.”
🚨 SHAHID AFRIDI SPOT ON 🔥“In the name of surgery, the selection committee brought in new players who have only played a few first-class matches. Seniors have been dropped even though they have performances in ODIs. The real surgery should be done on the selection committee… pic.twitter.com/ju3jaykVJi
— Abdullah. (@Abdullahh_56) March 15, 2026
“Instead, you brought in youngsters who have only played a few domestic and first class matches. The standard of domestic cricket is not high enough, and those players are not ready to come straight into the Pakistan team and cement their place. You keep handing out Pakistan caps again and again, this is not surgery. If anything, the real surgery should be done on the selection committee,” he added.
For the away series in Bangladesh last week, Pakistani selectors dropped Babar Azam and Saim Ayub from the ODI squad despite Babar scoring a century in the last one-day series for Pakistan. In his place, Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain, Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan and Abdul Samad were included in the ODI squad for the first time in their careers, and all six of them made their debut.
But only Maaz Sadaqat was able to impress with this performance. The left-handed batter played a knock of 76 runs from just 45 balls in the rain-hit second ODI and then picked up three wickets as well.
First Published:
March 17, 2026, 06:36 IST
News cricket Shahid Afridi Slams Pakistan Selectors For Making Son-In-Law Shaheen Shah Afridi ODI CaptainDisclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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