Former Pakistan cricketers have
criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for removing Shahid Afridi
as one-day captain for the forthcoming series against Ireland.
Chairman of the board Ijaz Butt had told a media conference in
Islamabad that batsman Misbah-ul-Haq would lead the team in the two
one-day matches against Ireland on May 28 and 30. "Afridi helped you reach the World Cup semifinals. He was the best bowler of the World Cup. He led the team to back-to-back series wins and still got the sack. Its mind boggling," The News quoted Salahuddin Ahmed, as saying.
"He was a successful captain because he managed to bring the best out of a team that included a number of mediocre players," he added.
Salahuddin also lamented PCB's double standards.
"If Afridi was sacked over indiscipline then why did the board fell short of taking similar action against others who have openly violated its code of conduct," he asked.
Meanwhile, former spinner Iqbal Qasim said that the PCB had become a one-man show.
"Afridi has been punished for taking Pakistan to World Cup semifinals. This decision smacks of a one-man show in the PCB," Qasim said.
Afridi had captained the team to the World Cup semi-finals where they lost to India, and had recently guided them to a 3-2 win over the West Indies in the ODI series in the Caribbean.e had been leading the T20 and ODI sides since early 2010 (ANI)
