According to credible sources, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt, will hold a meeting with the PCB’s chief selector Mohsin Khan on Wednesday, 18 May, 2011 to decide the fate of the limited overs captain Shahid Afridi.
Insiders have revealed that the PCB authorities are seriously considering replacing Afridi with Test captainMisbah-ul-Haq or opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez.
Butt and Khan are expected to finalize the squad for Pakistan’s two One-Day matches against Ireland at the end of this month.
It is believed that Butt is not pleased with Pakistan’s performance in the One Day International Series that recently concluded in the West Indies. Pakistan won the series 3-2, however, the tourists lost the last two matches of the five-match series.
According to sources, skipper Afridi and head coach Waqar Younis developed differences regarding the selection of the playing eleven for the final two games.
It has been reported that Afridi wanted to give the young talent a chance to have a go at the Windies while Waqar wanted to retain the winning combination.
However, Afridi irked the PCB by revealing the feud within the team to the media on his arrival back home from the Caribbean. The PCB immediately, issued a show-cause notice to the flamboyant all-rounder demanding an explanation of his actions.
Afridi on the other hand has replied to the PCB by clarifying that he did not take any names when he told the media that there was outside interference in the selection matters.
Members of the PCB wanted to relieve Afridi as the captain of the national team since before the ICC world cup 2011, however, after facing pressure from former veterans, the board decided not to sideline the hard hitting batsman before the mega event.
Later, Afridi proved the right to captain the national team, leading his side to an unbelievable performance in the world cup as the Men in Green reached the semi-final of the event where they were defeated by arch rivals and co-hosts, India.
Afridi was among the top wicket takers in the mega tournament, nonetheless, he lacked form with the bat. His bad batting form continued during the West Indies tour where he failed to play any commendable innings. It is this very fact that has encouraged the PCB to consider replacing him.
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