LAHORE: Shaheen Afridi has been named the captain of Lahore Qalandars for the seventh edition of the marquee domestic competition HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The left-arm speedster replaces Sohail Akhtar, who led the franchise in the previous edition of the competition. The appointment was confirmed in a press conference on Monday where the CEO Atif Rana confirmed the previously rumored news.
The appointment of Shaheen Afridi will end Sohail Akhtar’s reign at the helm after two years as he remains the most successful captain for the franchise, who led them to their only final in the competition back in PSL 5.
“My priority is always to polish and see a young cricketer improving his career towards betterment. Never saw any cricketer groom so well and quickly with the skills as Shaheen Afridi,” said head coach Aqib Javed, who was also present at the event.
Shaheen was equally excited on his appointment. “I am very excited to be named as captain of Lahore Qalandars this year. We have a very balanced side with all the bases covered, we will try our best to bring the trophy home this year,” he added.
It is worth adding that the Pakistan superstar left-arm pacer was previously the deputy to Sohail Akhtar in PSL 6 and this will be Shaheen’s first-ever captaincy stint in professional cricket.
Shaheen made his PSL debut with Lahore Qalandars in 2018 and since then he has been an integral part of the team. He is the leading wicket taker for Qalandars with a total tally of 50 wickets in 37 games. Afridi ended the year 2021 as most successful bowler in international cricket with 78 wickets across all formats.
Regarded as one of the best bowlers in the world right now, Shaheen lit the world cricket on fire after a supremely impressive 2021. He proved pivotal in Pakistan’s run to the semifinals in the T20 World Cup before Pakistan crashed out to Australia.
