Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has bluntly said about Shaheen Shah Afridi that the left-arm fast bowler does not even deserve a place in Pakistan’s T20I playing XI given his current struggles.Since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, Afridi has not been able to replicate his earlier impact, lacking consistency and control in his performances across all formats. His campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 was particularly disappointing, and he was also knocked out of the group stage against Namibia after conceding more than 20 runs in just two overs against India.
Afridi’s challenges have gone beyond T20 cricket. Under his leadership, Pakistan suffered a recent ODI series defeat to Bangladesh, which drew widespread criticism. While some fans and pundits have argued that he should be dropped from the ODI captaincy and replaced by Salman Ali Agha in charge of the T20 team, Latif rejected the idea outright.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Latif said the debates about Afridi’s captaincy are misplaced, insisting that the fast bowler must first regain his place in the team. He remarked that while Afridi was a suitable captaincy option earlier, his current form does not justify a place in the T20I XI, let alone the captaincy.During the Bangladesh ODI series, Afridi took four wickets in three matches but struggled to get early hits, a problem that has persisted since returning from surgery. Lack of penetration has been a recurring concern with the new ball, as seen during the T20 World Cup.Afridi showed some fight with the bat in the series decider in Dhaka, scoring 37 runs, but his effort was not enough as Pakistan trailed by 11 runs in the final ODI.He will be seen leading the Lahore Qalandars in the upcoming action. Pakistan Super Leaguewhich is scheduled to begin on March 26.
