Pakistan fans have come to expect this announcement sooner or later, as there were rumours of a dressing room discontent surrounding the captain’s inclusion in the side.

With the performances in the ongoing World Cup going downhill and qualification for the semis going from improbable to impossible, murmurs had started to rise that it was time for the all-rounder to go. However the fans love him to bits, and this was more than evident every time Afridi has come out to bat or bowl in the tournament.

But the veteran skipper has lost the dressing room and made some very poor decisions in recent years, leading to his players and the board losing faith in him. His bizarre decision to introduce Wahab Riaz into the attack against India comes to mind, when India where struggling to play spin. In addition, going into that game by dropping spinner Wasim Imam and starting Wahab at the first place was a decision Afridi rued before the night was over.