Shadab Khan breaks silence on Pakistan's T20I captaincy

Shadab Khan breaks silence on Pakistan’s T20I captaincy – Cricket – phpstack-1649576-6553255.cloudwaysapps.com

Shadab captained Pakistan in T20Is during two series, in 2020 and 2023 respectively

KARACHI: Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has ruled himself out of taking over as the national team’s T20I captain for now, saying he is not mentally prepared for the responsibility while backing incumbent skipper Salman Ali Agha to continue in the role.

Speaking in a recent interview with RAR Sports, Shadab said Salman was performing well as captain and deserved more time to establish himself in the role.

I am not mentally prepared for T20 captaincy

“I am not mentally prepared for T20 captaincy. Salman Ali Agha is performing well as T20 captain and should be given more time. Changing captains every day will not improve things; continuity is essential. No one from the board has contacted me yet regarding the T20 captaincy,” Shadab said.

Earlier this year, reports emerged suggesting that Salman could be replaced as Pakistan’s T20I captain following the team’s disappointing campaign at the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Shadab was subsequently reported to be among the contenders for the position.

Shadab, however, has now publicly backed Salman to continue in the role and stressed the importance of continuity in Pakistan’s T20I leadership.

The all-rounder has previous experience of captaining Pakistan

The all-rounder has previous experience of captaining Pakistan in T20Is. He first led the side during the 2020 tour of New Zealand after regular captain Babar Azam was ruled out through injury. Pakistan lost the three-match series 2-1.

Shadab returned as captain for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah in March 2023, when Babar, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi were rested as part of workload management. Pakistan lost the series 2-1.

At franchise level, the 27-year-old has been a long-standing captain of Islamabad United. He took over the leadership ahead of the 2020 PSL season and guided the franchise to its third PSL title in 2024.

Under Shadab’s captaincy, Islamabad United defeated Multan Sultans

Under Shadab’s captaincy, Islamabad United defeated Multan Sultans by two wickets in the PSL 9 final at the National Stadium in Karachi.

The victory added a third championship to the franchise’s titles from 2016 and 2018, which were won before Shadab became captain. Shadab was also named captain of the official PSL 9 Team of the Tournament after scoring 305 runs and taking 14 wickets during the campaign.