The PCB chief meets with the cricket squad in Kakul amidst the alleged outcry over Shaheen's statements.

 Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, met with the national cricket team on Monday. The team is currently at a fitness camp in Kakul. The meeting took place in the midst of a controversy surrounding remarks made in an official statement that were ascribed to Shaheen Shah Afridi.

A memorable week following the PCB's "reorganization" of the national selection committee came to an end yesterday when Babar Azam took Shaheen's place as the team's white-ball captain.

Shaheen expressed his excitement about playing under Babar once more in a statement released by the PCB regarding the situation. As stated in the PCB announcement, "It was an absolute honour to captain Pakistan's national cricket team."

It is my responsibility as a team player to support Babar Azam, our captain. He had added, "I have nothing but respect for him having captained me during games."

A person close to Shaheen, however, denied that he approved the statement that suggested a smooth transition of power. According to the source, Afridi was disgruntled at being replaced after leading the Twenty20 team for just one series.

The source told AFP, "This is not Shaheen's statement, and he has contacted PCB to clarify this." The source had stated, "Shaheen will meet PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday to clarify this."

Shaheen was "furious" about the statement that was attributed to him, according to ESPN crickinfo report, and he was "on the brink of making a statement to this effect, but the PCB has held emergency talks with him."

Shaheen "is understood to have contributed nothing to that [PCB] statement at all," the paper continued.

PCB chief Naqvi paid the national team a visit at Kakul to assess their training in the midst of the unpredictability and thanked the Pakistan Army for organizing the fitness camp.

In a post on X, Naqvi said, "I am highly inspired by the incredible dedication and high spirits of the national team players."

According to a PCB statement, he spoke with the players and gave them individual praise for their commitment and active involvement in the training.

Additionally, he conveyed his happiness with the athletes' zeal and dedication to raising their level of fitness.

"To discuss the team's selection ahead of the New Zealand T20I series, Chairman PCB met with the selection committee in addition to the players. Captain Babar Azam also attended the meeting. The PCB Chairman also gave the members confidence over the progress the board has achieved in selecting a head coach.

After just one series in command—a 4-1 Twenty20 defeat in New Zealand in January of this year—Shaheen showed no signs of relinquishing the armband, but the PCB selectors were considering who would be the next captain of Pakistan.

According to the PCB, Shaheen's injury history may make him unavailable in the future, which is why the selection committee decided to replace him as captain with Babar. This was Shaheen's downfall against the Black Caps, after all.

However, since 29 Pakistani probables, including Shaheen and Babar, have been working out at the nation's top military college in Kakul since Tuesday, it has come to light that the selectors had not informed Shaheen of the changes pertaining to the captaincy.

As Dawn understood it, they had extended the job to Babar, who had made his requirements "too harsh" in order to reclaim the mantle. Due to this, the PCB was forced to send the selectors to Kakul to meet with Babar, who reportedly sought full captaincy over all three forms, as well as leniency from the board in the event of a failure.

The ultimate decision made by the PCB implied that it complied with demands made by Babar, who was still pending confirmation as the Test captain.

Babar will face a struggle as experienced players Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir, who recently reversed their respective retirements following discussions with the PCB, are once again in the running for a spot in the Pakistan team for the T20 World Cup extravaganza.

Babar's style as captain has drawn criticism from both players, and the right-hander has frequently been charged with showing partiality while choosing the national side.