Afridi disappoints with Pakistan team
Collected
||Desk Report||
Bangladesh to play two-match T20I series against UAE ahead of Pakistan tour
2 May 25
Pakistan Cricket Team has been whitewashed in the Test series after losing the three-match T20 series against New Zealand earlier this month.They only managed to avoid whitewash against the Kiwis by winning the third T20I. The Pakistan team also had a bad time in the England series earlier the corona pandemic. Shahid Afridi has expressed disappointment with the current management team of Pakistan.
The 43-year-old believed that players were being thrust into the Test side on the basis of a few T20 performances. The former all-rounder stressed the importance of veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik in the national side.
“It is good that they put the blame on coronavirus rather than their usual subject of fitness. They thrust players into Test cricket on the basis of three T20 performances. Talent like that fades away in a few days. You must first prepare a player like Mohammad Hafeez or Shoaib Malik and then bring them to the national side. Malik is the spine of the side. With a World Cup coming up, he should have been in the side,” Afridi said at a launching ceremony of the Kashmir Premier League.
The dashing batsman claimed the ongoing differences between fast-bowler Mohammad Amir and bowling Coach Waqar Younis as a continuation of a culture in Pakistan cricket. The all-rounder remembered his own differences with Waqar while stating that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should talk to Amir and put an end to the matter.
“The differences between the coaching staff and Mohammad Amir are a continuation of tradition. My differences with Waqar are well documented. This is not a good tradition. The board has a sort of parental relationship with its cricketers. Whether it is Amir or any other player, the PCB should communicate its plans with them so that they mentally prepare themselves if they are dropped due to any issues,” he said.
Afridi has also criticized his former team mate and current national coach Misbah-ul-Haq for those disappointing performances.
“Misbah has made a lot of achievements for his country but the current team should play with some bravery. You cannot play international cricket with the heart of a chicken. Only those that can handle pressure can bring success to the side. I don’t think former players should just eye a role as the coach of the national side. Star cricketers such as Mohammad Yousaf, Inzamamul Haq and Younus Khan can do wonders at the junior level similar to how Rahul Dravid has done in India,” he concluded.
