KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Monday said that he was willing to play under any captain but not under the current conditions.
Afridi and his lawyers were addressing a press conference in Karachi on Monday.
"The process followed by the PCB does not conform with the law as even under Pakistan's constitution there is a right given to everyone to be heard before a case is decided," Afridi's lawyer Syed Ali Zafar told a press conference.
Afridi’s lawyers said that the board had given them a notice and said that the committee will sit at 3:00pm and give a decision on discipline and punishment at 5:00pm, and that he would not be allowed to bring a lawyer. He said that a letter had been sent to the board against this decision and that the board had agreed that Afridi could appear with his lawyer.
The former captain said that many hurdles had been created for him during his captaincy, and issues needed to be resolved for the sake of future cricketers. He said that if the issue was not resolved now, in the future, other players could face similar problems.
Afridi said that the current issue with the PCB was not about captaincy, and that he was willing to play under any captain. He said that the way the board treated players needed to be fixed.
He said that he was not playing any politics and that the political leadership had contacted him themselves.
Afridi’s lawyer added that they wanted the board to take back the notice which revoked his NoC and listen to his side of the story.
“You cannot take a decision without hearing us out,” he added.
Afridi also told the media that other senior players were facing problems but were not speaking up because of their central contract and the code of conduct.
PCB has no objection with lawyer appearence
The PCB has said that it will have no objection if the Disciplinary Committee allows Shahid Afridi to be assisted/represented by a lawyer during the disciplinary proceedings.
"In response to certain reports in a section of media, Pakistan Cricket Board states that it will have no objection if the Disciplinary Committee allows Shahid Afridi to be assisted/represented by a lawyer during the disciplinary proceedings," PCB media department said in a statement.
"PCB reiterate to provide fair and just opportunity to Shahid Afridi to present his defense with regard to violations of the Central Contract and PCB Code of Conduct," it said.
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