PSL 9: Aaqib Javed hits back at criticism over Shaheen Afridi’s captaincy

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Aaqib Javed has responded to criticism regarding Shaheen Afridi's captaincy amidst Lahore Qalandars' elimination from PSL 9. The team, having won only one out of eight matches, faced scrutiny over Afridi's leadership.

Javed, the head coach of Lahore Qalandars, defended Afridi during a media session in Karachi, emphasizing the need to avoid premature judgments based on a few matches. He highlighted Afridi's appointment as the Pakistan captain, citing his two-year performance in PSL.

“Shaheen was announced as Pakistan captain after his performance for two years as skipper in PSL. We need to get out of this mindset of judging someone after four or five matches. The same thing is going on in PCB. The chairman keeps changing after every two months,” Javed said.

Javed lauded Shaheen Afridi's achievement of reaching 100 wickets in PSL, considering it an honorable feat for the team.

“Shaheen [Afridi] has crossed the milestone of 100 wickets in PSL. It is a matter of honour for our team,” he said.

Javed attributed the team's dismal performance to player availability and injury issues.

“We tried to create a balanced team, however, David Wiese’s injury, Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s as well as other players’ absence caused problems for the team,” Aaqib said.

“Rashid Khan has always been the best option for our team, but unfortunately he could not participate this season,” he added.

Javed dismissed any psychological advantage held by Karachi Kings over Lahore Qalandars, despite the former's recent successes.

“We lost some matches in the last minute. But now it is a matter of honour for our team to win the remaining matches,” he said.

“Although we failed to defeat Karachi Kings for the past few games, they do not have a psychological advantage over us,” he added.