Karachi, Oct 5 : Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who has been facing a tough time for more than a year now for being out of form, is now getting support from his country's veteran cricketers for captaincy of the national team.

Ahead of the forthcoming homes series against India, he is been talked about giving the reins of the team, replacing current skipper Shoaib Malik, who, the veterans say, lacks "aggressiveness".

Appointed for a two-year period by the PCB, Malik's stint is set to be over this December.

Former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed is the latest to join the bandwagon to express his support for seasoned all-rounder Shahid Afridi as the new Pakistan captain. He is of the view that Afridi would have made a better captain than Malik for the Pakistan team.

"Leadership is all about the ability to make tough decisions and man management, I think Afridi has good skills in those areas. Leadership isn't about winning the game for your team. It's about being able to influence others and having their confidence in your decisions. It's nice to have a captain who leads from the front but your best player does not necessarily make the best captain," The News quoted Mushtaq as saying in an interview.

Malik (26) was appointed as Pakistan captain after Pakistan's humiliating first round exit from the 2007 World Cup. Since then, he has been mostly criticised for failing to inspire his team which he has led to Test series defeats against South Africa and India last year.

He drew flak from former Pakistan Test stars after his team failed to make the final of the Asia Cup on home soil earlier this year.

Many ex-Test cricketers have backed middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq as the next Pakistan captain, but former players like Moin Khan and Mushtaq believe that Afridi would be a better choice. "I would always go with a senior player as captain," said Mushtaq.

"Younis (Khan) initially refused the job, but I heard afterwards he changed his mind. Anyway they still had Yousuf and Afridi. "After Younis they were the best two players to become captain," Mushtaq added.

ANI