Pakistan skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 denounces criticism
Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has rubbished criticism from retired senior players over the national team’s poor performance in the three-match Twenty20 series in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 lost 2-1.
Upon returning home, Afridi said that criticism from the former players was unjustified and would demoralize the young Pakistani outfit before the World Cup, which is due to begin on February 19.
“I don’t want to react to the criticism,” Afridi said to the
Express Tribune. “All I expect is support for my team which is going through a tough phase with the World Cup not very far away. The former cricketers are well aware of the current crisis in the team and should avoid comments that would leave a negative
impact before the tournament.”
This is perhaps the darkest time in the history of Pakistan cricket, with most players ousted from the national team due to suspicions of match-fixing looming over their heads. Players like Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Danish
Kaneria have not been cleared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) because of the concerns of the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding their alleged links with bookmakers. Meanwhile, the trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif is under
suspension by the ICC for allegedly being involved in spot-fixing during the tour of England last year.
Afridi rejected claims made in the media that Pakistan is facing the same situation today as in 1992 when the country won its first and only World Cup despite being the weakest team during the early stages of the tournament.
“It is not the same time as it was when Imran Khan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javed-Miandad-c66580 were playing,” said Afridi. “The situation now is totally different. Some [ex-cricketers] just wait for a bad performance to launch an attack on the team or on
certain players. It happens. The same people praise you when the team does well.”
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