LISTICLE
Follow UsBabar Azam stepped down as Pakistan's white-ball captain on October 1 (Tuesday), and the next headache for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be to pick their next captain. Here's a quick look at some of the candidates:
Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan already has the teak of keeping wickets and opening the innings. On top of that, would it be right to hand him the extra responsibility of leading the side? He has NEVER led Pakistan in white-ball cricket but has been part of the leadership group within the team.
He recently led Markhors in the Champions One-Day Cup and has led Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well. He led the Sultans to the title in 2021 and finished runners-up in the next two seasons, without his performances dipping with the bat. He is the firm favourite to lead Pakistan, and rightly so.
Shadab Khan
If you need a serial winner, look no further than Shadab Khan. Earlier this year, he led Islamabad United to their third PSL title, and more recently, he also led the Panthers to the One-Day Cup title.
Not to forget, he was terrific in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024, finishing the tournament as the highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets at 12.17. His form for Pakistan has not been great of late, but as someone who plays only white-ball cricket for his country, he could very well be a top candidate for the job, considering that captaincy has got the best out of his own form.
Shaheen Afridi
When Babar was stripped of his captaincy after Pakistan's 2023 World Cup debacle, Shaheen Afridi took over the reins as the T20I skipper, only to toss it back to Babar after a resounding 4-1 loss to New Zealand.
Despite that, one cannot ignore Shaheen's key role in leading Lahore Qalandars to the PSL title in 2022. Not just with the ball but also with the bat, in a few useful cameos down the order and when required, Shaheen promoted himself too. Perhaps it is time to give him a longer rope?
Mohammad Haris
Not the Haris you were expecting on the list, was it? Mohammad Haris may have played just 14 international matches for Pakistan, but he exhibited tremendous captaincy skills when he led Pakistan A to the ACC Emerging Cup title, pipping India in the final in Colombo last year.
Moreover, he recently led the Stallions in the One-Day Cup, where senior players like Babar and Haris Rauf played under him.
Shan Masood
Pakistan's Test captain (at least for now), Shan Masood has been under scrutiny for his side's poor show of late. Will it make sense to throw him into the deep end in white-ball cricket as well? Masood last played a T20I in 2022 and the 50-over format in 2023.
What could work in his favour is that he recently led Yorkshire in white-ball cricket. Masood's appointment as captain could be as surprising as Azhar Ali being elevated out of the blue in 2015.
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out on our content — big time. Download the App here.
