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The controversy
surrounding Pakistan’s captaincy has worsened, and Shaheen Afridi is reportedly
upset with a statement on the PCB website that contains comments he did not
speak. Afridi was about to release a statement in support of this, but the PCB
has urgently spoken with him. On Monday, there will be another hurriedly
scheduled meeting with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
It is reported that the PCB did not request a statement from Afridi to be used
in a press release. Afridi is extremely dissatisfied with the way he has been
handled throughout the entire captaincy U-turn.
“I will always cherish the memories and the opportunity,” the
statement, attributed to Afridi, said. “As a team player, it is my duty to
back our captain, Babar Azam. I have played under his captaincy and have
nothing but respect for him. I will try to help him on and off the field. We
are all one. Our aim is the same, to help Pakistan become the best team in the
world.”
It is thought that
Afridi had no input whatsoever on that comment, and this fresh escalation is
certain to fuel more tensions in a Pakistani camp where unity has been sorely
strained by the PCB’s constant vacillating about the national captaincy. After
Naqvi declined to support Afridi during a news conference in Lahore on Sunday,
stating that a decision will be made following Pakistan’s military training
camp, it was clear that Afridi’s time was running out. However, it seems that
the decision to fire him was almost complete at the time.
Due to Afridi’s
unhappiness, the PCB was compelled to go into damage-control mode and will now
have to figure out the least explosive route out of this sticky predicament.
It’s anticipated that Naqvi and the PCB will make an effort to appease him and
allay any brewing anger on the situation, but it’s unclear how well they will
do so.