Afridi blames cricket woes on lack of domestic professionalism

Pakistan T20 captain says the excuse of no international cricket not valid anymore

KARACHI: Pakistan’s T20 captain Shahid Afridi blames lack of domestic professionalism as the reason for Pakistan’s failure in ODI cricket and the probability of not qualifying for the 2017 Champions Trophy.

The 35-year-old said it was time to stop using the excuse of lack of international cricket in Pakistan and move forward to revive the barren domestic cricket structure.

When asked if he was worried that Pakistan might miss the Champions Trophy, Afridi told cricket.com.au: “I am more worried about Pakistan’s domestic cricket than international cricket.

“If we improve our domestic cricket then international cricket will start improving as well. The absence of international cricket at home shouldn’t be our excuse.

“We have the example of South Africa in front of us. They did not play international cricket for a long time but they had extremely good domestic structure that is why they have a competitive team today. Pakistan need a strong domestic structure too.

“The facilities given to domestic players should meet international standards. We need to bring professionalism in our domestic cricket.”

Afridi was also optimistic about his upcoming Caribbean Premier League T20 stint with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and deemed it as a preparation for the 2016 World Twenty20.

“As a captain I need couple of good all-rounders and big hitters to prepare for the World T20,” he said.

“We have already found a good opener in Mukhtar Ahmad.

“I have made selectors aware of my plans that we have time for experimentation now but I don’t want changes three or four months before the ICC World Twenty20 in India.”

Moreover, the flashy all-rounder also talked about the return of international cricket in Pakistan as a dream come true.

“It was a big occasion for me as I again got the chance to play in front of home crowd before calling time on my career,” he said.

“I really enjoyed being part of that series. The whole world has seen how badly the Pakistan crowd was missing cricket.

“It was a massive occasion for everyone in Pakistan. I hope we will see more international cricket in Pakistan.”