LAHORE: Pakistan’s captaincy saga has been plunged into yet another crisis, with Shaheen Afridi believed to be enraged by a statement on the PCB website containing quotes attributed to him, but not said. Another hastily arranged meeting with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi will be held on Monday.
It is understood that Afridi, who is completely unfazed by the way he has been treated throughout the captaincy reshuffle, has not been asked by the PCB to provide a statement to be used in the press release. A few hours after Babar Azam was re-appointed as captain, a press release was issued in which Shaheen’s words pledged full support to Babar Azam as captain and said it was an “honour” to lead Pakistan.
As a team player it is my duty to support our captain Babar Azam. I have played under him and I have nothing but respect for him. I will try to help him on and off the field. We are all one.
Afridi is believed to have had nothing to contribute to the statement and this latest outburst is meant to further stoke tensions in the Pakistan camp, where unity has been sorely tested by the PCB’s repeated shuffling of the national captaincy. However, it seems that the decision to fire him was already on the verge of being finalized.
It is understood that Shaheen does not feel that it has been fully explained to him why he was replaced in the first place and is frustrated by the lack of communication from the PCB. And the PCB’s attempt to quell any lingering backlash by issuing a statement where both Babar and Shaheen exchanged warm words only served to fan the flames.
Naqvi and the PCB are expected to try to pacify him and diffuse any simmering resentment over the whole matter, although it remains to be seen how successfully they will be able to do so.
