‘Babar Azam is our king’: Shadab Khan on captaincy role

Shadab Khan on Thursday dispelled the impression that he is in the running for the national team captaincy and clarified that Babur Azam Still captained and resting.

Our captain is Babar Azam and he is resting. Babar Azam is the king and I am his minister,” Shadab said in response to a question during the post-match press conference when his Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Islamabad United, led by Babar Azam, faced off. Peshawar Zalmi was eliminated.

The name was given by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Shadab Khan Babar is resting senior players including Azam as captain for the three-match T20 series.

The PCB’s move has sparked speculation that the star batsman may lose the captaincy in one format and the board is scouting players for leadership roles.

Shaheen Shah Afridi was earlier tipped to lead the team but after his cryptic tweet, the board appointed Shadab Khan as the captain for the Afghanistan series to be played in Sharjah.

When asked about the challenges in the UAE tour, Shadab said that the Afghan team is a good T20 team and a good series against them is expected.

Shadab said that we have to play smart cricket without any fear.

Shadab will lead a relatively young side as several PSL performers have also been included in the squad.

Apart from the series, PCB has also appointed Mohammad Yousuf as interim head and batting coach for a short tour of Sharjah to “ensure continuity”.

Yusuf has been with the national team since last year as a batting coach and is also working at the National High Performance Centre.