Atif Rana opens up about Imran Khan’s reaction to Shaheen Afridi’s captaincy

Lahore Qalandars CEO Atif Rana opened up about the background story behind appointing Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain. He also shared insights into former Prime Minister and cricket legend Imran Khan’s thoughts on the young pacer’s leadership role in the franchise.

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Lahore Qalandars CEO Atif Rana shared former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s views on the appointment of Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain of the franchise.

Rana clarified that Shaheen was not made captain on Imran Khan’s suggestion. Instead, the decision was made by Lahore Qalandars' think tank, with Sameen Rana playing a key role in choosing him as the leader. 

“We had a meeting with Imran Khan after we made Shaheen the captain,” Atif Rana said. 

“At that time, Imran Khan praised our decision and told Shaheen, ‘If you keep playing like this, you will rule world cricket for the next 8 to 10 years,’” he added. 

Rana also shared an interesting remark from the cricket legend. 

“Imran Khan said he doesn’t consider batsmen as captains—he believes a true captain is a bowler,” he added.

Rana also shared that while Imran Khan was not directly involved in making the decision, his endorsement of Shaheen as captain was a big moment for the team. 

“Hearing such words from such a legend was very special for us and for Shaheen as well,” Rana concluded.