Misbah reacts to shift in Pakistan’s T20I captaincy

Former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq addressed the recent shift in leadership within the national cricket team, highlighting the sudden dismissal of Shaheen Shah Afridi from his role as T20I captain.

Afridi assumed the T20I captaincy following Babar Azam's decision to step down from captaincy across all formats after Pakistan's premature exit from the 2023 ODI World Cup. 

The left-arm fast bowler's captaincy tenure commenced with a disappointing 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand on their home ground earlier this year. However, his leadership stint was cut short after just one series, with Babar Azam reinstated as the white-ball captain of Pakistan on March 31.

Misbah criticized the handling of both Azam and Afridi's captaincy changes, describing the process as unsettling for the players and the team. 

“The process of changing captain in Pakistan is extremely unpleasant and this affects the players and the team,” Misbah told reporters in Lahore.

“Babar was removed from captaincy in the wrong manner and so was Shaheen Afridi.

“Both Babar and Shaheen are our star players and my best wishes are with the team and I hope they perform well.”

With Babar's reinstatement, his first task as captain will be leading Pakistan in the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home, starting from April 18.