The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken a serious note of Shahid Afridi’s remarks and served the limited-overs captain a show-cause notice to explain his comments.
Afridi, who returned to Pakistan on Sunday morning after the One-Day International (ODI) series in West Indies, was irked by the unwanted interference in team selection during the tour and said that the management needed to mind its own business.
“There are some issues,” Afridi had told reporters while playing down the intensity of the matter. “But they aren’t serious enough to be unsolvable.”
He added that interference on part of the team management was a concern and he will discuss the situation with the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt.
“I always say everyone should do their own job and it is not appropriate to interfere in matters of others. I’m responsible for my work and others are responsible for theirs.”
The remarks were made after media reports that detailed a fallout with coach Waqar Younis over team selection with the captain reportedly wanting to miss the final two ODIs that Pakistan lost. However, Afridi was convinced by team manager Intikhab Alam to take part in the matches but the all-rounder was vocal about the issue after his return.
The PCB, irked by Afridi’s actions, has demanded an explanation.
“It is a violation of the Code of Conduct,” said the board in a statement. “An explanation has been sought from him for the reasons to make such statements publically. The PCB will take appropriate action after submission of the tour-report at the conclusion of the Test series.”
And while Afridi was set to meet the board’s chairman to explain the situation surrounding team selection matters, a board official said that the 31-year-old was ‘in serious trouble this time’.
The official added that Afridi, who has been served show-cause notices in the past as well, has had a poor record when it comes to giving out statements to the media.
“The PCB wanted to put things on track,” the official told The Express Tribune. “Ever since the spot-fixing scandal, the board has done nothing but make sure that the country’s cricket is issue-less. But every now and then, an issue comes up. This guy [Afridi] doesn’t understand things and bursts out in front of the media. This time the PCB chairman is upset over his attitude and has decided not to meet him.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2011.
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