PHOTO: AFP
"I didn’t force Afridi to announce his retirement after World T20," said Shaharyar while addressing a press conference in Lahore. "He himself said he would retire. Afridi is an iconic player that is why we made him the captain earlier."
An optimistic Shaharyar said that the next two matches against New Zealand and Australia are important for Pakistan and he hopes the team will qualify for the last-four of the World T20.
"The next two matches are important and we are expecting a good show from the team," said Shaharyar. "I hope we will qualify for the World T20 semis. I was sad that we lost to India. However, there was no security hassle for the team in India."
The Octogenarian also said that Pakistan-India cricketing relation needs to revive because a 'bilateral series is the need of the hour'.
He also said that door of cricket will open in Pakistan once the World XI visits the country.
"Giles Clarke is coming in April to discuss the visit of the World XI. We are expecting the World XI in September. The International Cricket Council’s security team visited Pakistan. They presented a positive report. The matches will be played in Lahore and Karachi. We hope it will help us bring cricket back into Pakistan," explained the PCB chairman.
Moreover, Shaharyar also felicitated women's team for beating India.
"I congratulated the Pakistan women team on beating India. It is a big victory for the players. The team is improving and I have faith in them," iterated Shaharyar.
Earlier, a disappointed Shaharyar on Sunday said the nation should not pin much hope on the team in World T20I.
“Pakistan ranks seventh in the T20 format. So the country should not pin much hope on the team,” the PCB chairman told a British news agency.
Shaharyar’s statement comes after Pakistan lost for the fifth time against India at ICC World T20 event. Although, Pakistan has a jinx against India at T20, Dhoni’s men had never beaten Pakistan at the venue before.
India repeat history, beat Pakistan in World T20
The PCB chairman pointed out that the team failed to grasp wickets against India. The former Pakistan diplomat also came down heavily on Pakistan’s decision to include speedster Mohammad Sami in the squad. “If three fast bowlers could not help the team win, a fourth would not make things better. There should have been a spinner in the team,” he said.
Shaharyar also openly criticised team captain Shahid Afridi for his poor performance at the high-voltage clash. “His future is evident. After the World Twenty20 ends, we will begin looking for another captain.”
Regarding head coach Waqar Younis, the PCB chairman said, “His contract ends in June. We will rethink our decision over him.”
Shocking tactics lead to another chastening defeat
Pakistan, who started the tournament with a bang by thrashing Bangladesh, failed to shrug off their world cup jinx against India. Pakistan have lost all their 11 matches to India in six 50-over World Cup meetings and five T20 clashes, but senior batsman Shoaib Malik did not read much into it.
Apart from Ahmed Shehzad (25) and Malik (26), no other batsmen got going against an Indian attack which utilised the conditions to their advantage.
The 2009 World T20 champions will now face New Zealand on Tuesday and Australia on Friday at Mohali.
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