- Shahid Afridi says PCB should have informed Mohammad Amir about his future
- Shahid Afridi says PCB and Mohammad Amir should work together for Pakistan
- Former captain says Shoaib Malik should be brought back in team before T20 World Cup
LAHORE: Former Pakistan cricket team captain Shahid Afridi has weighed in on Mohammad Amir’s early retirement, saying that the dispute between coaches and the fast-bowler is part of Pakistan cricket’s old tradition.
The all-rounder, while speaking to the media in Lahore, said that disputes between him and the current bowling coach Waqar Younis were not “hidden”.
Afridi believes that the board should have informed the fast-bowler about his future, adding that the PCB should have invited him and resolved the dispute.
“They should work together for the sake of the country’s respect,” said Afridi.
The former captain also spoke about the dropping of Shoaib Malik. He commented that the all-rounder should be brought back in the team before the T20 World Cup.
The two players were dropped by Misbah-ul-Haq, when he was holding the position of chief selector, during the Zimbabwe series that was played last year in October.
Misbah had said that Shoaib’s exclusion was a “strategic decision” as they wanted to give players like Abdullah Shafiq, Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah better chances.
The chief selector pointed out that the PCB followed the same philosophy while leaving out Mohammad Amir.
The two players were then also excluded from the 35-man squad announced for the New Zealand tour.
Following the exclusion, Malik had stayed on but Amir had announced his retirement from international cricket.
Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir to leave cricket due to ‘mental torture’
Last month, left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir had shocked the cricket world by announcing his retirement from international crickets saying he was leaving the world of cricket due to “torture” and an environment created by the Pakistan team management that is “pushing him away”.
In a video shared by sports journalist Shoaib Jatt, Amir explained his reasoning for leaving cricket.
“I am not going away from cricket but I am being pushed away from it,” the left-arm pacer said, adding that an “environment” has been created for him to get “sidelined”.
“The environment that has been created, I feel that I cannot play cricket under this management,” said Amir.
The 28-year-old said he got a wake-up call once he was not named in the 35-man squad for the Pakistan tour to New Zealand.
“I feel that I am leaving cricket at this time because I am being mentally tortured,” said the pacer.
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