New Delhi: Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's captain at the 2011 World Cup, is reported by Geo TV in Pakistan to have announced his 'conditional' retirement from the international game.
"When I took over, the Pakistan team was in the middle of the spot-fixing crisis," Afridi was quoted as saying by the channel and by the Jang newspaper. "Then the Zulqarnain Haider case happened, but my side fought both against England and South Africa in the ODI series. Then we beat New Zealand in New Zealand, and we got to the semi-final of the World Cup, and beat the West Indies there as well. But the way I've been treated ... the future doesn't look too good. I can't play under a board that doesn't respect its players. Because of this, under protest, this is a conditional retirement."
Afridi, 31, had quit Test cricket last year after the first Test of Pakistan's tour of England, but remained an integral part of the limited-overs sides, which he continued to lead until the recent tour of the West Indies. He was, however, axed as captain despite Pakistan's 3-2 success in the ODI series, and replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq who has been in charge of the Test side as well. Though the board did not give official reasons for the removal, it was believed to be the result of growing differences Afridi had with coach Waqar Younis, in particular over matters of selection.
"We had very solid reasons to remove Afridi and I will reveal them when the time is right," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had said. "We haven't taken this action without any reasons.
On his return from the Caribbean, Afridi referred to the situation with Waqar, saying, "Although the differences in team management are not such which could not be solved, I feel everyone should do his job and need not interfere in other's work". That led to the board issuing him a showcause notice to explain his remarks, and presumably formed part of the reasons for his removal. Subsequently Afridi decided to pull out of the two ODIs against Ireland; speculation was that he was unhappy over his ouster, though he said he had decided to miss the series due to his father's ill-health.
Afridi is not new to retirements. He first announced a temporary sabbatical from Test cricket in April 2006, in a bid to concentrate only on ODIs in the lead-up to the 2007 World Cup. But he then said that he would reconsider his 'retirement' after the World Cup. He later returned to the side, and even led Pakistan's Test side at the start of their tumultuous tour of England last summer. He, however, once again retired from the longest format, as soon as Pakistan lost the first Test against Australia at Lord's. Afridi was one of the culprits in Pakistan's spineless second-innings effort, holing out against part-timer Marcus North who ran through the line-up.
"With my temperament I can't play Test cricket," Afridi said then. "I wasn't interested in playing Test cricket but the board asked me to go and take a look as they didn't have a choice. But I wasn't really enjoying Test cricket but I tried. I wasn't good enough. A captain should lead by example which I did not."
Afridi was replaced by the then vice-captain Salman Butt, who held the reins until he was ousted following the spot-fixing scandal, at which stage Misbah took charge of the Test side. Afridi remained at the helm in the shorter versions, and led from the front as Pakistan outperformed in the lead-up to, and during, the 2011 World Cup.
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