Though Shaheen had opted to put the matter of being stripped of the T20 captaincy after one series behind him, a sense of injustice continues to linger. The player has never felt the reasons for his dismissal were ever adequately explained to him, and having been unceremoniously dumped from one leadership position, he was understood to not be keen to jump into another.
That Shaheen turned down another chance at a leadership position, though, demonstrates how uneasy that truce still is. Shaheen is among the core leadership group of the T20 side, but is understood to feel he does not need to take up an official role delineating it, particularly as the role is a demotion on the position he held just weeks ago.
The approach to Shaheen was made before the selection committee’s meeting to finalise the squad, where the issue of the vice-captaincy came up once more. Despite other names being discussed, there was relative unanimity on the PCB’s final decision not to announce a vice-captain, with six of the seven members believed to be in favour of the move.
“During Friday’s selection committee meeting, discussions on the vice-captaincy took place,” the PCB said in a statement. “However, it was unanimously decided not to appoint anyone. As such, no offer was made to any player. The side is fully united, committed and keenly looking forward to the upcoming matches in the UK and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.”*
*The story was updated to add the PCB’s statement
