From the last couple of weeks speculation was rife in media reports that officials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are not happy with the vice-captain of the national cricket team, Shadab Khan. Sources had told news media that PCB are looking for a new vice-captain while considering resting Shadab Khan for the New Zealand series.

However, the management has followed the advice of captain Babar Azam and retained Shadab as vice-captain.

Reportedly Babar Azam excluded Imad Wasim from the ODI squad but kept him in the T20 Squad with PCB backing the captain’s decisions.

According to media reports, PCB initially planned to give rest to Shadab Khan while Usama Mir was under consideration to play in the home series against New Zealand.

Shadab Khan’s relations with management seem to be rocky.
Shadab was appointed as the stand-in captain for the Afghanistan series but the team suffered a historic defeat in the matches.

Matters got worse when in the post-match press conference, Shadab said that now the management and nation will know the importance of key senior players.
Higher authorities were purportedly displeased with the statement.

Rumors of removing Khan from vice-captaincy faced backlash from former Test stars and social media with the hashtag #DestroyerNajamSethi trending on Twitter against the chairman of the PCB Management Committee.

Sources reveal that the captain has reportedly urged the board to avoid further experimentation ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 scheduled in India.

Given the current schedule, players cannot be afforded rest, and therefore, the decision was made to retain Shadab Khan as vice-captain due to his performance.

However, all is not well, as Imad Wasim has expressed disappointment over Babar Azam’s alleged condition of being made captain of the PSL franchise Karachi Kings, and the subsequent lack of trust shown towards him in that role.

However, Imad has reclaimed the reins of Karachi Kings following Babar’s move to Peshawar Zalmi, and his impressive performance in Sharjah makes it difficult for the team management to leave him out of the playing eleven.