Stripped of the arm-band

Afridi replaced by Misbah as ODI captain but will feature in Ireland series.

LAHORE:

After weeks of controversy and speculation, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has removed all-rounder Shahid Afridi as the team’s One-Day International (ODI) captain.

While he keeps his place in the squad for the Ireland series, it is Test captain Misbahul Haq who will now lead the team out in the matches that take place on May 28 and 30 in Belfast.

Afridi had irked the PCB over his remarks on team management’s interference during the West Indies tour after his return and there was widespread speculation that this may be the final straw given his record of giving statements to the media.

The all-rounder, who stated that ‘everyone should mind their own business’, was of the view that coach Waqar Younis was interfering too much in team selection.

Afridi was supposed to meet the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt but the meeting was cancelled. The all-rounder was instead sent a letter to explain his comments and has now been reduced to an ordinary member of the side.

While the PCB declined to give reasons, The Express Tribune understands that the decision was  made in light of his consistent violation of the code of conduct. According to reports, the 31-year-old was never the ideal candidate for captaincy but was given the role as there was no other choice.

Too much interference

The situation got tense during the World Cup where, according to reports, Younis and Afridi argued over team selection. However, Pakistan’s run to the semi-final, where they lost to eventual champions India, and Afridi’s haul of 21 wickets in the tournament - where he was the joint-leading wicket-taker - overshadowed the incident.

The all-rounder, who wanted to skip the tour of the West Indies, caved in to public demand and made himself available for the Caribbean series where, after a loss in the one-off Twenty20, Pakistan sealed the ODI series with three successive wins. Two losses followed and Pakistan had to be content with a 3-2 scoreline. Afridi’s own performance was unimpressive - 28 runs in three innings and two wickets at 84.5 - followed by a media briefing where he lashed out at the management has put an end to his captaincy career.

Board announces squad

The PCB announced the squad for the ODI series that includes Younus Khan and all-rounder Hammad Azam besides Afridi.

Younus had returned home before the first Test against West Indies due to the death of his elder brother.

“Changes in the squad weren’t needed,” said the PCB Chief Selector Mohsin Khan. “We want to give the current players full confidence. We have a combination and it should be made consistent. We want to ensure all players get an opportunity to prove their ability. As far as the captaincy is concerned, this isn’t the selection committee’s domain.”

Pakistan v Ireland

Misbahul Haq (c), Younus Khan, Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Salman (wk), Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2011.