Pakistan’s T20 World Cup-winning legned Shahid Afridi has criticized spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan, saying his recent performances do not justify a place in the national team, let alone the captaincy.
Afridi made the remarks while speaking on a news channel amid reports that Shadab Khan could replace Salman Ali Agha as captain of Pakistan’s T20 side.
“Looking at his performance, I wouldn’t even keep him in the team, let alone give him the captaincy,” Afridi said.
Afridi also questioned why Shadab continues to receive opportunities despite his struggles.
“The head coach is giving Shadab chance after chance. That’s why I said Shadab can become the next Pakistan captain. But looking at his recent performances, he doesn’t even deserve a place in the playing XI,” Afridi added.
Shadab played six matches in the tournament, scoring 118 runs at an average of 23.60 with a strike rate of 153.25. With the ball, he took five wickets at an average of 30.40 and maintained an economy rate of 8.44.
Pakistan endured a disappointing campaign in the 2026 T20 World Cup. After being eliminated in the group stage in the 2024 edition, Pakistan managed to reach the Super 8 this time. However, their campaign ended there after a defeat to England prevented them from advancing to the knockout stage.
Earlier in the tournament, Pakistan also suffered a comprehensive defeat to arch-rivals India.
Expectations were high for Pakistan, particularly with the tournament being played in the sub-continent. However, the team’s approach to T20 cricket appeared outdated.
Pakistan needed a convincing victory over Sri Lanka in their final Super 8 match to secure a place in the semi-finals, but a disappointing performance from the middle-order batters prevented them from achieving the required margin.
One of the few positives for Pakistan in the tournament was the performance of opening batter Sahibzada Farhan. He scored 383 runs in six innings at an average of 76.60 with a strike rate of 160.26, finishing as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
