Pakistan cricket coach Waqar Younis does not harbour a grudge
against Shahid Afridi and said he was sad to hear the former captain
had decided to retire.
Afridi announced his retirement
from international cricket this week after the Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) removed him as captain for the one-day series against Ireland.
The PCB were unhappy about
Afridi's comments concerning perceived interference in his role during
the tour of West Indies, where a dispute with Waqar came to a head.
"I am sad that he decided to
retire," Waqar told reporters at Lahore airport after returning with
the national team from Ireland. "I don't know why he took such a
decision. But I have no personal grudge with him.
"I have only seen all this stuff in the media. I will be meeting with the board chairman to discuss the tour reports.
"But whatever has happened is
not good for Pakistan cricket, which is progressing well despite us
getting no international cricket at home."
Pakistan won the ODI series
against West Indies with Afridi at the helm and drew the test series
under senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq. They also beat Ireland in two ODIs
with Misbah as captain.
Afridi faces disciplinary action for violating the PCB's code of conduct and they have terminated his contract. Reuters
