Shaheen Shah Afridi, speaking at his unveiling as Lahore Qalandars captain, has revealed that, in his view, Mohammad Rizwan is the best captain he has played under, with Babar Azam ranking second.

Babar is the current Pakistan captain in all formats, with Rizwan the other batting mainstay of the national side. The wicketkeeper has captained his country twice, with Babar missing the 2020/21 Test series against New Zealand.

For Shaheen, it was Rizwan’s “personality”, and his status as the captain of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa side that brought him through that put him above his international skipper.

“I like Rizwan’s personality,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. “I started playing domestic competition with him from KPK’s side and I would rate him as the best. Since Babar has done a fantastic job with the national team, I will rank him second.”

Rizwan will captain Multan Sultans in the 2022 Pakistan Super League, with Shaheen taking over at Lahore Qalandars. Babar is the skipper at Karachi Kings, meaning the three will have a good chance to test their respective leadership skills.

On the batting front, however, there was a clear leader for Shaheen.

“Babar Azam is my favorite batsman and he is the number one batter as well,” he said. “He has done fantastically well as a captain for the national team and we are reaching new heights under him.”

The next edition of the PSL starts in January 2022. Multan Sultans are the defending champions.