Following his reinstatement, Pakistan's captain Babar Azam has declared that he and Shaheen Shah Afridi have no ill will towards each other, despite Shaheen's recent loss of the T20I captaincy.
Six months prior, Babar led Pakistan in all three formats as captain, but he resigned when the Men in Green's ODI World Cup campaign ended without the team reaching the semi-finals.
Following Babar's departure, the PCB named Shaheen the team's T20I captain. But in the end, he was only in the game for five matches as Babar took over as the fast bowler.
"I want to make clear that Shaheen and my bond is not recent, it goes back a long way. We support each other in every situation,” said Babar ahead of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting in Rawalpindi on April 18 (Thursday).
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.
Pakistan has also reintroduced Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir to the T20I squad, and Babar believes this series would allow him to experiment and assess the bench strength.
Our line-up is flexible. We're trying to give opportunities to our young players and bench strength. You'll see different combinations in this series and check what works for us.
You'll see that in the bowling as well as batting, and in every spot. By the time we get to the Ireland and England series, we'll have a clearer picture.
I always believe the players we have here are based on performance. Sometimes it becomes difficult when you have so much talent at your disposal to produce a playing XI. We try and do the best for Pakistan.
Talking about Usman Khan, who recently shifted back from UAE to Pakistan, Babar said: "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 is set to lead Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. IND vs PAK match on June will be the most pressurized match of him.
When you're a batter, you're thinking differently, and the same when you're a fielder. And that's also true when you're captain. Whatever role you have you try and enjoy it, and to try and show your ability.
I try to stay upbeat. Even though sometimes you feel people don't want to see you happy.
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