Afridi unhappy with Waqar’s role in the series

Captain to meet PCB chief on his return from WI.

KARACHI:

Pakistan’s limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi is set to meet the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt on his return from the West Indies to discuss issues faced while working with coach Waqar Younis.

According to the Daily Express, Afridi had developed problems with Waqar even during the World Cup with things getting out of hands on the tour of West Indies and the captain even refusing to take part in the final two One-Day Internationals (ODI), a tour he was reluctant to be part of initially.

The all-rounder left for the tour from Karachi - as opposed to the squad that left from Lahore. The duo were involved in an argument over selection matters for the playing-eleven.

“Afridi wanted to give the new players ample chances in the series and insisted they were not on tour for a joyride but Waqar insisted they play the tried-and-tested players,” said a team official. “Afridi wanted to try out Sadaf Hussain. During the World Cup he wasn’t happy that Junaid Khan didn’t get to play a single match.”

Chanderpaul named in West Indies squad

Reports of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s demise appear to have been exaggerated after he was named in a 15-strong West Indies squad to prepare for the first Test against Pakistan.

The durable left-handed batsman has been engaged in a war of words with the West Indies Cricket Board over the last two weeks following his omission from the preceding five-match ODI series. Chanderpaul claimed his non-selection for the ODIs followed his refusal to retire from the international limited-overs formats of the game, after he had been asked to do so by West Indies officials.

Chanderpaul, a veteran of 129 Tests, 268 ODIs, and 22 Twenty20 Internationals, will add greater substance to a batting line-up that struggled during the ODI series, which Pakistan won 3-2.

Pakistan set for warm-up against Guyana

Meanwhile, Pakistan continue their sojourn through the Caribbean with a two-day match against host nation Guyana, starting today at the Bourda Oval.

The Pakistanis will look to transition from the limited-overs mode of the game, as they prepare to face West Indies in the first Test of two, starting on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.

Misbahul Haq will take over the reins of captaincy of the Test side from Shahid Afridi, and the visitors will welcome two pairs of fresh legs into the squad, with the arrival of former captain Younus Khan and key fast bowler Umar Gul. The duo was rested following a challenging tour of New Zealand, which preceded a gruelling World Cup. (With  additional input from AFP)





Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2011.