Shaheen reveals Imran Khan's captaincy nudge, addresses Rauf's contract fallout

Lahore Qalandars' skipper, Shaheen Afridi, has revealed that prior to leading the team, he lacked any experience as a captain at the junior levels. It was the influential advice of former Pakistani captain, Imran Khan, which prompted him to take on the leadership role for the franchise.

Expressing his initial disinterest in captaincy, Shaheen recounted a pivotal moment in 2021 when Imran Khan, during a meeting with Lahore Qalandars' owner Sameen Khan and coach Aqib Javed, suggested appointing him as the captain.

"I have not captained at any age level, really, maybe once at Under-19 level," Shaheen told ESPNcricinfo. "I never even had an interest in captaincy. But then in 2021, I was sitting in the PM office with Sameen bhai [Lahore Qalandars owner] and Aqib Javed, and Imran Khan suggested that I be appointed captain.

“Obviously, you can never say no to Imran bhai. After that, I became captain of Lahore. I was vice-captain, but when Imran bhai said I should be captain, that's when the change happened."

After guiding Lahore Qalandars to their maiden title in 2022, Shaheen visited Imran Khan to express his gratitude for the faith placed in him.

"When we won the title in 2022, I went to meet Imran bhai and told him 'at least we've now won one title!' And I thanked him at the time for showing faith in me. That's when my captaincy started, until then I had no interest," Shaheen said.

“Imran said most great fast bowlers have been captains because fast bowlers have the authority to set fields and they understand other fast bowlers, concerning what they need and what they're going through. Those few nuggets of wisdom from him were very valuable to me, and I'd like to give him full credit for it."

In a span of two years as captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi transformed Lahore Qalandars into a strong contender in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, aiming to secure their third consecutive title under his leadership in PSL 9.

Shaheen also opened up about PCB’s decision to terminate Haris Rauf’s central contract just few days prior to PSL.

"I don't have much to say about the PCB's decision. But the timing is such we have a match in one day and the decision just came through,” Shaheen said “Haris is a mentally strong boy and this won't affect him hopefully, and perhaps the PCB will also understand making the decision at this time was not correct. Haris is doing fine; he's always ready to play for Pakistan."