Lahore Qalandars all-rounder David Wiese believes Shaheen Shah Afridi was a fantastic captain who always leads from the front.
Shaheen, in charge of a team for the very first time at senior level, has led Qalandars to the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and Wiese, who has played nearly 300 T20s, feels the 21-year old has been successful because he’s been trusting his instincts.
“Shaheen and myself have a good relationship. We’ve been playing together for a long time now, and he’s still a young captain and he is still learning. He’s not shy to come to senior players and myself and whoever if he needs advice and he is always open to suggestions. I think he’s done fantastically well,” ESPNcricinfo quoted him as saying.
Shaheen was picked up by Qalandars as a teenager in 2018 and over the years he has become an integral part of the franchise. “It’s first season as captain, you know, he goes with his instincts a lot of times,” Wiese said. “There are a lot of times that that’s the way to go. I’m really fortunate to have played this game for a long time now and to have ample experience and it’s nice to be able to pass that knowledge on to him. He is a fantastic leader and the guys really respect him in the team and he has done an amazing job as captain this season.”
“Sometimes, death hitting and coming in at the end, it just doesn’t work out for you and you’ve just got to stay patient and you’ve just got to have the faith,” he said.
Having played in T20 leagues in India, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and England, Wiese has been happy to offer Shaheen his support, but adds that he hasn’t really needed it.
“As a captain, you always want to lead from the front, but also you need to be able to show people that you’re in control of things – that you are calm and collected and that you are actually not panicking or anything like that. He leads from the front and we saw that overnight and you know, he’s really passionate, he’s got a lot of energy out there, and he’s just going to get better and better as a captain. It’s not about me, it’s basically just coming to me just for reassurance the whole time. And I just keep telling him, you know, whatever you decide, just pick back your decision and everyone’s behind you and it’s worked out for us,” he said.
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