Following Babar Azam’s resignation, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) swiftly appointed Shan Masood as the new Test captain and named Shaheen Afridi to lead the team in T20Is.
In an official statement, PCB disclosed that Shan Masood will take over the Test captaincy until the culmination of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. His inaugural task as captain will be steering the team in a challenging three-match Test series against Australia in Australia, commencing on December 14.
Presenting our captains 🇵🇰@shani_official has been appointed Test captain while @iShaheenAfridi will lead the T20I side. pic.twitter.com/wPSebUB60m
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 15, 2023
Simultaneously, the left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been entrusted with the T20I captaincy. His maiden assignment in this role will be the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand scheduled from January 12 to 21. With an impressive track record of 64 wickets in 52 T20Is, the 23-year-old also holds experience in leading Lahore Qalandars to victory in the HBL PSL, securing back-to-back titles in the 2022 and 2023 editions.
Notably, Babar Azam’s resignation from captaincy across all formats was conveyed through social media following his decline to retain the Test captaincy when offered by the PCB during a meeting. The 29-year-old conveyed his decision to step down from all formats during the interaction with the board.
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) November 15, 2023
Shan Masood thanks PCB for the opportunity to lead Pakistan
Shan Masood reacted over his appointment as Pakistan’s Test captain and thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for giving him the opportunity.
“I am grateful to the PCB for giving me the opportunity to lead the Pakistan team. Red-ball cricket is a challenging format; it’s a challenge, It is our collective responsibility to take the team forward together,” Shan said.
“We want to play a brand of cricket that becomes our identity,” he added.
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