1 year ago
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Legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi lashed out at PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf amid the off-field drama that has thrown Pakistani cricket into turmoil amidst their fledgling ICC World Cup campaign.
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Pakistan captain Babar Azam and his team had come under heavy criticism following a run of four consecutive defeats that has them staring at an early exit from the ongoing World Cup in India. Off the field, tension had been brewing between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ashraf and Babar, with the former reportedly ignoring calls from the Pakistan captain.
Things escalated to another level after a purported chat between Babar and PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer was leaked on Pakistani news channel ARY News, in which Naseer questioned the skipper for calling Ashraf, which Babar would deny.
In a fresh twist to the leaked chat story, ARY News anchor Waseem Badami would later claim he had received screenshots of the chat between Naseer and Babar from the chairman himself, and apologised on behalf of his network for the leak.
Afridi, when quizzed about the same on Samaa TV on Tuesday, did not hold back and tore into Ashraf.
“Zaka Ashraf sahab kisi club k chairman nahi hai. Woh Pakistan Cricket Board ke chairman hai (Zaka Ashraf isn’t the chairman of a club, he’s the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board). He should look after a lot of things. I’m surprised (by this kind of behaviour),” Afridi said on Samaa TV.
“You are calling up owners of media houses and complaining about people grumbling against you.For God’s sake you are the chairman, please deliver, please do your job. You’re the one giving them things to complain about. Please stick to your job.
“The team is playing a World Cup and you’re giving statement after statement, sometimes targeting Babar and occasionally against someone else. For God’s sake try and hold on to your chair and please address the cricketing problems that need resolving. Ignore what others are saying about you,” added Afridi.
Besides the drama between Ashraf and Babar, batting legend Inzamam-ul-Haq also stepped down from his position as the Pakistan chief selector due to a conflict-of-interest charge against him. The PCB has since formed a five-member committee to look into the allegations against the former Pakistan captain.
“Later I got a call that they had formed a five-member committee,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by Dawn.
“We are cricketers and we are available all the time to serve the country. Since I am facing an inquiry, and as the nature of my job is, I should step down and let them conduct the probe,” Inzamam added.
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