Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that the selection committee has decided not to appoint a vice-captain of the men's cricket team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
The cricket board's statement came after it was revealed that Shaheen Afridi wasn’t interested in taking up the role of vice-captain.
“During Friday’s selection committee meeting, discussions on vice-captaincy took place. However, it was unanimously decided not to appoint anyone. As such no offer was made to anyone,” said the PCB statement.
"The side is fully united, committed and keenly looking forward to the upcoming matches in the UK and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024," the statement added.
Earlier, multiple sources had claimed that selectors had approached Shaheen asking if he would be interested in the role of vice-captain. However, the discussion couldn’t proceed further after Afridi expressed no interest.
Remember, Afridi was removed as captain in March this year with Babar Azam replacing him in white-ball cricket.
It must be noted that Pakistan had named their squad for the World Cup, which begins on June 1, in the United States and West Indies.
“This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience. These players have been playing together for some time and look well prepared and settled for next month’s event," the PCB said in a press release.
“Haris Rauf is fully fit and bowling well in the nets. It would have been nice if he had gotten an outing at Headingley, but we remain confident that he will continue to maintain an upward trajectory in the upcoming matches, as he will have an important role to play along with other strike bowlers in the T20 World Cup.”
Pakistan are in Group A of the event, alongside India, Ireland, Canada and USA.
Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad
Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.
Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2024 schedule
June 6: Pakistan vs USA, Dallas
June 9: Pakistan vs India, New York
June 11: Pakistan vs Canada, New York
June 16: Pakistan vs Ireland, Lauderhill
- Shaheen Afridi