Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has made a blunt assessment of Shaheen Shah Afridi, saying that the left-arm pacer doesn’t even deserve a place in Pakistan’s T20I starting XI given his current struggles.Afridi has been unable to replicate his early impact since the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with his performances lacking consistency and control across formats. His performance at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was particularly disappointing and he was even left out of the group stage match against Namibia after conceding over 20 runs in two overs against India.The challenges facing Afridi extend beyond T20 cricket. Under his leadership, Pakistan’s recent ODI series defeat to Bangladesh sparked widespread criticism. While some fans and experts felt that he should be relieved of his duties as ODI captain and made in charge of the T20I team in place of Salman Ali Agha, Latif dismissed the idea outright.Taking to his YouTube channel, Latif said the discussions surrounding Afridi’s captaincy were misplaced and insisted that the fast bowler must first regain his place in the team. He said that while Afridi might have been a suitable leadership choice earlier, his current form is not enough to even get a place in the T20I eleven, let alone captaincy.Afridi took four wickets in three games during the ODI series in Bangladesh but struggled to get an early breakthrough, an issue that has persisted since his return from surgery. The lack of penetration of the new ball has been a recurring issue, similar to what happened during the T20 World Cup.Afridi did show some battle with the bat in the series decider in Dhaka, scoring 37 runs, but his efforts were not enough as Pakistan trailed by 11 runs in the final ODI.He will next be seen leading Lahore Qalandars in the upcoming match. pakistan super leaguewhich will launch on March 26.
