'My bond with Shaheen Afridi goes back a long way' - Babar Azam on current equation with star Pakistan pacer after captaincy controversy

Babar Azam reassured fans that there is no tension between himself and Shaheen Afridi after he replaced the star pacer as Pakistan's new T20 captain last month. The Men in Green are set to face New Zealand in a five-match T20I series at home, starting with the first match on Thursday, April 18, in Rawalpindi.

Babar relinquished captaincy of the Pakistan team last year after the Asian giants failed to progress to the semifinals of the ODI World Cup 2023. Subsequently, Shaheen was announced as the T20 captain, while Shan Masood took over the reins in red-ball cricket. However, the left-arm seamer got only one series to showcase his captaincy mettle as Pakistan travelled to New Zealand to play a five-match T20I series in January. The result didn't go in favour of Shaheen as the visitors lost the series 1-4.

Last month, Shaheen was left disaffected after being stripped of captaincy. How it was done created controversy as Shaheen was left furious with a statement on Pakistan Cricket Board's website which carried his quotes, which he did not say. During his first press conference since taking up Pakistan captaincy for the second time, Babar mentioned that he has a good relationship with the ace speedster.

"I want to make clear that Shaheen [Afridi] and my bond is not recent, it goes back a long way. We support each other in every situation. Our aim is to put Pakistan first, and how to put Pakistan's name up in lights. We don't think of individual glory, and thankfully, those elements are not present in my team," Babar was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

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Usama Mir needs to keep doing the things that got him here: Babar Azam

The 28-year-old leg-spinner, Usama Mir, has played three T20Is so far in his career. He is expected to feature at least in some of the games in the series against New Zealand. Babar suggested that the Sialkot-born should stick to what brought him to play at this level.

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"Usman needs to keep doing the things that got him here. We put expectations on every player. I expect certain things from myself as well as my players. It pleases me when a young player gets an opportunity and the senior players back him. We try and take young players under our wings because when you come to international cricket, you initially struggle and need support and confidence. And then those players go on to serve Pakistan," Babar said.