Babar Azam-Shaheen Afridi Captaincy Saga: A Comedy of Errors with a Touch of Tragedy

DR Cricket’s view of PCB’s decision to shuffle captaincy of the National team.

Perhaps, Ramiz Raja – former Pakistani test captain, once a PCB chief and presently a cricket commentator – got it right when he repeatedly asserted that the throne of Pakistan cricket’s governing body should be held by a former cricketer. For him, only a cricketing mind can understand cricketing matters. Many have doubted his motives. They believed that he said this to forward his own claim to the coveted seat and that of those like him.

Many former PCB chairmen – i.e. the non-cricketing ones – have been prone to the influence of whispers, uttered discretely in their imperial ears, often by former cricketers. One such former player, who once had an on-screen spat with Ramiz Raja, is in the coterie of the incumbent PCB chief’s advisers.

Ostensibly, the existing selection committee – a body of equals as nobody heads it, and where all matters will henceforth be decided by the majority vote – was unanimous in its advice of bringing Babar back as captain of the National squad.

The previous chief – who too was a non cricketer – was, however, counselled to remove Babar from captaincy by those holding sway over him.

So, the question arises should the person holding the throne be trained in the matters of the realm, cricket in this regard? If not, he should, at least, have the capacity to differentiate between a knight and a court jester.

Ramiz Raja, had a point.

On 31 March 2024, PCB’s official website announced, “Babar Azam as the new white-ball captain of the Pakistan Men’s national cricket team.”

Then came the amusing bit. “In a strategic move aimed at ensuring player well-being and peak performance, the board overhauled the white-ball leadership. Babar, renowned for his brilliant batting record in international cricket will take over the captaincy from Shaheen Shah Afridi,” the press release went on to explain.

What the hell does a player’s well-being have to do with it? Moreover, whose well-being are they referring to. Babar’s? Shaheen’s? Or are they suggesting that a fast bowler can never be white ball captain?

In bureaucratic world, one uses such phrases when one has got nothing of substance to say. Mostly, to pull wool over the public eye.

Then the press release went on to placate Shaheen who was bound to be angry. It states, “While Shaheen Afridi has undeniably proven himself as a star fast bowler, leading Pakistan’s pace attack over the years, the board recognises the importance of rotation and rest to maintain his peak performance.” More wool.

For God’s sake it’s T20 cricket. Only four overs a day. Then again, was Shaheen ever asked whether he wanted to rest or not? Apparently, he was never consulted.

Why couldn’t they just speak their mind. That they believed Baber was unjustly deposed in the first instance after a string of miserable performances, including the once-in-every-four-years debacle, the World Cup. That the previous chief had the wrong set of advisers. That Shaheen had led the team inefficiently in New Zealand. That one series was enough of a sample size for them to gauge captain’s ability. That his captaincy was short of the mark in the recently concluded PSL, even though he had previously led his team, the Lahore Qalandars, to two consecutive PSL championship titles. That to divide is the best way to rule.

Shaheen was visibly seething after the press release. Reportedly, he refused to own the words attributed to him in the press release in which they say that he said, “it was an absolute honour to captain the Pakistan National Cricket Team. I will always cherish the memories and the opportunity. As a team player, it is my duty to back our captain, Babar Azam. I have played under his captaincy and have nothing but respect for him. I will try to help him on and off the field. We are all one. Our aim is the same, to help Pakistan become the best team in the world.”

Shaheen needed to be pacified. Hence the dash to the picturesque valley of Abbottabad by the new boss where the team was undergoing fitness training camp. Pictures were released showing the PCB chief and the star bowler exchanging smiles over a handshake. Damage repaired. Disaster averted, for the time being.

The press release ends with listings Babar’s laurels: Pakistan beating “India for the first time in a World Cup encounter” and leading the team to the 2022 T20 World Cup final.

The poorly crafted press release further asserted that Babar’s “appointment as captain reflects PCB’s confidence in his ability to inspire and unite the team towards success.”

Well, unity might just have been the first casualty in PCB’s avowed efforts to unite the team.

Babar is a wonderful batter. Potentially, Pakistan’s best-ever. He might have done better to take a leaf out of Younus Khan’s book, one of Pakistan’s greatest cricketers and the only won to lead this country to a world T20 trophy. Once bitten by the captaincy bug, he was forever shy of taking the mantle again. He quietly went about amassing centuries and serving his country the way he knew best: winning matches with the bat.

And by the way, do we see any of those – who once conspired with a former PCB chief to bring Younus’ captaincy down – among those who now have the king’s ears. Always beware of jesters masquerading as knights.