Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi opens up on his appointment as ODI captain

Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pic: File Pic)

Pakistan's newly appointed ODI captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, opened up about leading the national team for the first time after being sacked as the T20I skipper last year.

Ahead of his first captaincy appointment in the format, the pacer is hopeful of improving Pakistan's status in the One-Day Internationals (ODIs). He also said that captaining the national team is an honour and added responsibility for any player.

"It is an honour for me to lead the country. Even as a player, wearing the national colours is always a matter of pride, but now, as captain, there is an added sense of responsibility," Shaheen told reporters as quoted from Geo News.

"Our job is to serve Pakistan cricket and fulfil whatever role we're given. Leadership appointments are the management's decisions, and we respect that. My focus right now is on improving our one-day cricket and leading the team from the front," added the pacer.

The trend of leadership shuffle in Pakistan cricket continued after Rizwan was sacked as the ODI captain before hosting South Africa. Rizwan was handed the captaincy mantle in the 50-over format last year and led Pakistan to series victories over Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

On the other hand, ahead of the three-match ODI series, South Africa will miss the services of Temba Bavuma, who has been ruled out due to an injury. Pacers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen have also been rested.

In Bavuma's absence, Matthew Breetzke, who holds the record for the highest score (150) in an ODI debut, has been handed over the leadership duties. Despite being depleted of its mainstays, Breetzke has urged the youngsters to rise to the challenge.

The three-match ODI series will also witness the return of Quinton de Kock in the format. He has reversed his retirement decision, which he had made in 2023. Both teams will engage in the 50-over format after concluding the two-match Test series 1-1.

The first match will be played on Tuesday at the Iqbal Cricket Stadium in Faisalabad. The second and third game is scheduled to be played on November 6 and 8 at the same venue.

(With ANI Inputs)