"It's very unfortunate that this dispute has ended up in court. It's just a minor issue but has been blown out of proportion. PCB just wants the player to be disciplined," he added.
Zaheer feels that the PCB has been branded as a villain. "Discipline, definitely is an important aspect but in Pakistan cricket once the board gets strict on discipline, it is treated as a villain," he said. The PCB yesterday also suspended the contract of national selector Mohammad Illyas for violating his contractual terms by going to the media on the Shahid Afridi issue. Analysts see the suspension of Illyas as a move by the board to convey to the court that it is unbiased in disciplinary issues. Another former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said the case was a big test for the board. "I think in the first place there is a need for the board to understand the fact that even if their Chairman wants to change the captain or coach or impose his views on selection matters, players need to be given proper respect." Latif said if the board had contacted Afridi and spoken to him before removing him as captain, the issue would not have been blow up like it did. PTI