KARACHI:
Pakistan One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for overlooking senior players without any valid reason and said that the move hampered the team’s progress ahead of the 2011 World Cup.
Afridi felt that the team needed the services of former captain Shoaib Malik and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal and hence the board should be questioned for ignoring them.
The ignored duo was overlooked for the Twenty20 and Test series against New Zealand starting on December 26 with chief selector Mohsin Khan claiming that he had not received a go-ahead by the board for the players.
“As captain, I really need the senior players because otherwise grooming youngsters for the World Cup – which is just a couple of months away – will be a very difficult task,” Afridi told reporters in Karachi.
“It will be a huge loss for the team to lose these senior and experienced players so the board and selection committee should be questioned for ignoring them.”
The PCB failed to give any reasons for snubbing the duo, who are displaying good performance in the ongoing Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, triggering much speculation that the players were not selected to please the International Cricket Council (ICC) amid spot-fixing claims alleging the duo has links with illegal bookmakers. But the ICC has not reacted to this notion on several occasions.
“Akmal was supposed to be rested for a short time to regain his form, but not forever, as he is a senior player who is required by the team as he has a lot of experience.”
The captain, however, did not oppose the move for excluding Mohammad Yousuf from the squad.
“I can’t comment on Yousuf’s removal from the Tests but as far as T20s are concerned, he is not suitable for this format.”
‘Pakistan not prepared’
Burdened by the loss of seniors, the experienced all-rounder also complained that Pakistan was not well prepared for the World Cup. “I’m not happy as the team is not preparing the way I wanted it to prepare for the World Cup,” said Afridi while adding that the bout of controversies was also affecting the team’s progress.
The captain added that despite the obstacles, the pool of players for World Cup should be announced immediately, and remained upbeat as he worked towards leading the team to clinching the trophy.
“The squad should be announced soon so that I know which players I have for the World Cup. As of now, I don’t know which players will go because of clearance issues. But as captain, it is my responsibility to marshal the players and hopefully I will do so with success.”
No favourites for the World Cup
The experienced all-rounder decided against naming his top four teams for the forthcoming World Cup. “You cannot point out any favourite team in present-day cricket. I think all major teams will have a fair chance to qualify for the semi-finals.”
Riaz to take legal action
Following Imran Farhat and Umar Akmal, left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz has also announced that he will be taking legal action against Mazhar Majeed for spot-fixing allegations.
In the latest video which surfaced on a local television channel, Majeed claimed that he has seven players in his control, naming Riaz as one of them. The other players were Kamran Akmal, Umar and Farhat besides the suspended trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.
Riaz said Majeed was never his agent and termed his claims as a conspiracy to defame Pakistan cricketers. “I have not committed anything wrong and will start legal action against Majeed for defaming my name.”
The left-arm pacer has already been cleared by the Scotland Yard following investigations after the spot-fixing scandal in August.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2010.
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