Shadab Khan comments on Babar Azam taking over captaincy from Shaheen Afridi

Pakistan all-rounder, Shadab Khan addressed the leadership transition within the team, expressing his thoughts on Babar Azam taking back the captaincy from Shaheen Shah Afridi. 

Speaking to Wisden, Shadab emphasized the importance of stability and consistent processes in leadership roles to ensure consistent results for the team. He acknowledged the abrupt nature of the change, suggesting that Shaheen might have benefitted from a longer tenure as captain.

"From Shaheen’s point of view, things shouldn’t have changed so rapidly; instead, a system or adequate process should have been in place to ensure consistency and provide consistent results," Shadab said.

Shadab also noted that due to an injury, he did not have the opportunity to play under Shaheen's captaincy. Upon his return to the team, Babar had resumed his role as captain, which meant that for Shadab, the situation remained largely unchanged. 

"Unfortunately, due to injury I didn’t play under Shaheen, so when I returned, I was still playing under Babar, and things were relatively the same for me," he further added.

Reflecting on the broader team dynamics, Shadab highlighted that having Babar back as captain brings the advantage of experience.

"Looking at it from Shaheen’s perspective, maybe he could have been given a longer run in the role. However, having Babar back also provides us with an experienced captain, so not much has changed to make it harder for me", he concluded.

The leadership change has not appeared to impact team morale significantly, with Shadab indicating that the squad remains focused and adaptable. Babar's return to captaincy has been viewed positively within the team, leveraging his extensive experience to guide Pakistan through their T20 World Cup campaign.

It is worth noting that Pakistan is set to kick off their campaign against co-hosts USA today at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.