previous Pakistan Captain Shahid Afridi believes Shadab Khan Mike Hesson is the frontrunner to take over the National Team if he remains as head coach. With Pakistan’s qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup hanging in the balance, discussions have intensified over who can replace current captain Salman Ali Agha. Many experts in Pakistan believe that the Aga’s status is under threat after the team’s poor performance in the tournament.Pakistan got a timely boost to keep their semi-final hopes alive as England beat New Zealand by four wickets in Colombo on Friday. To advance, Agha’s side must beat Sri Lanka by 65 runs at Pallekele or chase down the target with 40 balls remaining and overtake New Zealand on net score.
Ahead of the crucial match, Afridi pointed to the strong working relationship that Shadab and Hesson developed during their time at Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League as a deciding factor.“If Mike Hesson continues as coach, then I think Shadab Khan will be named captain. There is a connection between them and it goes back a long way, stemming from their experiences with Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League. Shadab is not a bad choice but it would be nice if he performs better as a bowler,” Afridi told Samaa.TV.“We need Shadab to put in consistent performances. If that happens, we will also be happy to call him captain. I always say he is the backbone of the team. I think Shadab will be the captain because they don’t have any other option. Make him captain but he should be a performer,” he added.Interestingly, after Pakistan’s 61-run loss to India earlier in the tournament, Afridi urged the team management to exclude Shadab as he was not performing well with both bat and ball.Shadab later responded sharply to criticism from several former players, including Afridi. After his all-round performance against Namibia, he claimed that his current team can beat India in the World Cup, something he said former players cannot boast of. The remarks sparked a backlash and he was severely criticized from many quarters.Afridi is not the only one predicting a change in leadership. earlier, Shoaib Malik It also suggests that Shadab’s promotion may already be in the works.“Shadab’s name has started to become known as far as the captaincy is concerned,” Malik told ARY News.As of now, Pakistan is yet to win in the Super 8 stage. They were eliminated against New Zealand and they narrowly lost to England, with their semi-final fate hanging on a dramatic comeback
