Pakistan’s Shadab Khan (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi believes Shadab Khan is the frontrunner to take over the national side if Mike Hesson continues as head coach. With Pakistan’s campaign at the T20 World Cup 2026 hanging in the balance, discussions have already intensified over who could replace current skipper Salman Ali Agha. Many experts in Pakistan feel Agha’s position is under threat after the team’s underwhelming showing in the tournament.Pakistan received a timely boost when England beat New Zealand by four wickets in Colombo on Friday, keeping their semi-final hopes alive. To progress, Agha’s men must defeat Sri Lanka in Pallekele by 65 runs or chase down the target with 40 balls remaining to surpass New Zealand on net run rate.

Ahead of that crucial fixture, Afridi pointed to Shadab’s strong working relationship with Hesson, built during their time together at Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League, as a decisive factor.“If Mike Hesson stays on as the coach, then I think Shadab Khan will be made the captain. They have a connection and go back a long way, stemming from their stint with Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League. Shadab is not a bad choice, but if his performance as a bowler was better, then it would have been great,” Afridi said on Samaa.TV.“We need Shadab to come up with consistent performances. If that comes, we will also feel good about calling him the captain. I always used to say he was the backbone of the team. I think Shadab will be made the captain as they don’t have any other choice. Make him the captain, but he should be a performer,” he added.Interestingly, following Pakistan’s 61-run defeat to India earlier in the tournament, Afridi had urged team management to leave Shadab out due to his struggles with both bat and ball.Shadab later responded sharply to criticism from several former players, including Afridi. After an all-round display against Namibia, he claimed his current team could defeat India in the World Cup, something he said former players could not boast of. The remarks drew significant backlash, and he faced heavy criticism from multiple quarters.Afridi is not alone in predicting a leadership change. Earlier, Shoaib Malik also indicated that Shadab’s elevation may already be in motion.“Shadab’s name has started doing the rounds as far as captaincy is concerned,” Malik said on ARY News.As it stands, Pakistan are yet to register a win in the Super 8 stage. Their fixture against New Zealand was washed out, while they suffered a narrow defeat to England, leaving their semi-final fate dependent on a dramatic turnaround

NEW DELHI: Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has questioned the leadership of Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi, saying a lack of clarity and freedom may be creating tension between Pakistan’s captain and coach. His comments came after a viral video showed Pakistan captain Salman Agha throwing a bottle in frustration while sitting near head coach Mike Hesson.

Tiwary believes strong leadership is needed for any team to move forward and suggested the current setup may not be giving the coaching staff enough independence. “If any country wants to move ahead, then the leader should be firm in his or her decision-making. There should be clarity, and freedom should be given. I don’t think the PCB chief has given full freedom. Mike Hesson is the current head coach, and he is trying to take the team along,” he told Cricbuzz.He also felt the bottle-throwing incident reflected deeper issues in the dressing room. “In the last game, we saw things got a bit frustrated between Hesson and the captain, Salman Ali Agha. Babar Azam was not sent out. Agha threw the bottle. It just proves that trust isn’t there,” Tiwary added.However, Hesson has dismissed claims of any rift and explained the incident differently. He said Agha was simply upset after getting out, not angry with the coach. “I’ve actually got sent that video, and you guys have really got that wrong. I’ll talk you through what happened. I was going over to talk to Salman about getting (Mohammad) Nawaz to put the pads on as a left-hander, and Agha was upset that he just got out, so he threw the bottle into the ground,” Hesson explained.He further clarified that the discussion was about batting plans, not an argument. “(It had) nothing to do with the conversation we were having… So it was a really simple conversation… So, amazing what people can interpret sometimes,” he said.