Pakistan Twenty20 skipper Shahid Afridi does not seem to be in favour of tainted cricketer Salman Butt making a comeback to the national team. A source in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told PTI that Butt, who completed a five-year ban for spot-fixing last September, was in contention for an immediate comeback to international cricket but Afridi showed his reluctance. "Butt met with chief selector Haroon Rasheed last night in Lahore. The situation is that members of the Pakistan team have also indicated they have no problems with Butt joining the team but Afridi is not in favour of his inclusion," the source said. The source also said that the selectors were considering opener Butt for the World T20 after the team's dismal batting performance in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh. "The selectors are desperate to find a solution to the opening problem in the Pakistan team and will also certainly recall experienced opener Ahmed Shehzad. Salman Butt is also under consideration," the source said.
Pakistan's bowlers had gone for plenty against India and they will look to comeback strongly in what is a virtual semi-final against Sri Lanka.
The Pakistan all-rounder was banned for one Test and two ODIs after admitting he damaged the pitch with his boots day two of the second Test against England.
Pakistan registered a comfortable seven-wicket victory to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
Grant Elliot's all-round performance eclipsed Shahid Afridi's 29-ball blitz to secure New Zealand a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first One Day International in Wellington on Saturday.
All-rounder Shahid Afridi will captain Pakistan at this year's Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Tuesday.
It was always going to be a toss-up between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Shahid Afridi. Dilshan's duck, and another brilliant all-round performance by Afridi, tilted the scales in favour of the phenomenally talented player from Pakistan.
Pakistan's cricket coach has described former captain Shahid Afridi as "immature" and a bad influence on the dressing room.
Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir believes that the emergence of Arshdeep Singh could bring an end to India's prolonged search for a reliable left-arm pacer.
Pakistan's veteran all-rounder Shahid Afridi has admitted that he would like to eclipse the record set by the swashbuckling South African skipper AB de Villiers, who hit the fastest One-Day International century.
Shahid Afridi believes Pakistan can go to India and play a series but only after the country's Cricket Board (PCB) gets written guarantees from its Indian conterpart (BCCI).
Shahid Afridi was sacked as One-Day International (ODI) skipper because he repeatedly revealed the team's "internal matters" to the media, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials have said.
The all rounder was recalled to the squad for the triangular series in the Netherlands and the ICC Champions Trophy.
Pakistan's flamboyant former captain and Twenty20 hot property Shahid Afridi has shunned the dollars for national duty by opting out of the Bangladesh Premier League where he was the costliest player after fetching a price tag of USD 700,000 in the auction.
Skipper Inzamam-ul Haq said Shahid Afridi and Yasir Hameed would contest for a spot in the top order.
He will break Hashim Amla's record of scoring 2,000 ODI runs in the least number of innings.
Scathing in its criticism after Pakistan's loss to India in a World Twenty20 match, the media here came down heavily on national coach Waqar Younis and skipper Shahid Afridi for their "faulty gameplan" and team selection. In a low-scoring rain-curtailed 18-over-a-side showdown t the hallowed Eden Gardens last night, India first restricted Pakistan to 118 for five and then overhauled the target in 15.5 overs on a turning track. With a moisture-laden pitch on offer following rains, Pakistan went by their strength and included four seamers in the playing eleven, leaving out left-arm spinner Imad Wasim. But the plan backfired as, to the surprise of all and sundry, the wicket turned from the first over itself. In a sarcastic article, the 'Express Tribune' newspaper criticised the Pakistan team's tactics and questioned the logic behind including four seamers on a turning wicket.
Pakistan have won their first two World Cup matches but the lack of depth in the bowling is a concern
Vanquished captain Shahid Afridi expects a mature reaction from fans in Pakistan when their team returns after going down to arch-rivals India in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
The chairman of the PCB, Ijaz Butt has made it clear that the former Pakistan One-day skipper Shahid Afridi is no longer a captaincy material for the PCB.
Dressed in traditional finery, Muslims across India offered prayers at mosques and eidgahs on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramzan.
The selectors on Wednesday recalled Shahid Afridi in the Pakistan squad for the One-day series against Sri Lanka, hours after the former captain had a meeting with the new PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf.
Former Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis has claimed that his relationship with former skipper Shahid Afridi has been spoiled after his scathing report on the country's dismal performance in the recently-concluded World T20 was leaked. "I have been very clear that report was not for the media, but for the cricket board. Unfortunately, the report was leaked and my relationship with Afridi has been spoilt," Younis was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. Waqar and Afridi's decision to step down from their respective position came days after their side's early exit from the T20 format's pinnacle event. Pakistan were crashed out of the prestigious tournament after suffering three successive defeats against arch-rivals India, New Zealand and Australia in the group stages. Talking about Afridi's drawbacks, the 44-year-old said that the main problem with the all-rounder was his inability to concentrate on a particular thing for long span of time. "Afridi's drawbacks as a captain are for everyone to see. He has got a temperament issue. He cannot sit for too long to highlight things, or absorb things and then go and implement them. I've said this in my report," said Younis.
David Warner has expressed his ambition to take up coaching in future.
Pakistan's World Twenty20 loss to India could spell the end of Shahid Afridi's rein as captain with the country's Cricket Board planning to sack him irrespective of the team's performance in the remainder of the tournament. "There is clear discontent in the Board about Afridi and his performances and captaincy and even if he decides against retiring after the World T20, the board will not retain him as captain any longer and even his days as a player are ending now," a Pakistan Cricket Board source said. "The Board is also privately not happy with the media statements of Afridi and believe it is time to move on," he said. Sources told PTI that PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan has indicated even the current selection committee could be disbanded after the World T20. "No matter whether Pakistan reaches the semi-finals or even wins the title the selection committee headed by Haroon Rasheed is on its way out," one source confided. He said the inquiry committee formed by the board to probe into the performance of the team in the Asia Cup had already held three meetings and expressed discontent with the performance of the selectors and management.
Shahid Afridi's scintillating all-round display secured Pakistan a series-clinching 26-run victory against Sri Lanka in a low-scoring fourth One-day International on Sunday.
Flamboyant Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi on Thursday announced that he will retire from international cricket after the World T20 to be held in India next year.
India's batting coach Vikram Rathour said their batters have the skills to post a big score against the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led bowling unit.
Some of the top cricketers are contemplating terminating their central contracts with the Pakistan Cricket Board after some were refused NOCs to go and play in foreign T20 leagues.
After creating a furore by stating that Indians are not "large-hearted", Pakistan's ODI cricket captain Shahid Afridi did a volte-face, claiming that he was misunderstood and quoted out of context.
Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has stirred controversy again by saying that he did not find any of the Indian cricketers having large or clean hearts.
Zaman was devastated, realising that luck had abandoned him when he needed it most.
A desperate Pakistan will be wary of a competent group of Afghanistan spinners' ability to strike hard on an often-gripping Chepauk pitch when the teams meet in the World Cup match in Chennai on Monday
The selectors have brought in leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, pacer Mohammad Sami and batsman Faisal Iqbal for the three-Test series against India starting on November 22.
Pakistan's iconic former captain Imran Khan is not sure whether Shahid Afridi has the ability to pull through a team in shambles but conceded that if there is anyone capable of achieving something extraordinary, it is the swashbuckling current skipper.
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi came under fire for his sudden decision to retire from Test cricket after the England debacle with some former players questioning his commitment to the team.
Pakistan's sacked captain Shahid Afridi is not likely not attend the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) disciplinary hearing on charges of violating the code of conduct, his lawyer said on Monday.
Critical of Shoaib Akhtar for announcing his retirement in the middle of the World Cup, Pakistan ODI captain Shahid Afridi today claimed the pacer did not consult the team before making his decision public.
Pakistan's Test captain Misbah-ul Haq feels that Shahid Afridi's greatest quality has been to bring unity in the team which has always been in the news for all wrong reasons.
New Zealand survived Shahid Afridi's late onslaught to beat Pakistan by 17 runs in the second and final Twenty20 match to level the series 1-1.
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