“I want to create two teams for Pakistan before my tenure ends": Shahid Afridi

[MenInG]

Shahid Afridi speaking to the media

“I want to create two teams for Pakistan before my tenure ends in order to improve bench strength"

“I feel like there was lack of communication in the past. I got to know about the issues of players by speaking to them individually"

“We want our cricket to move forward but the pitches we have played on won’t help us do that. Such pitches are not good for bowlers. We are trying to make a bouncy pitch for the second Test,”

“This [selection committee] is not a one-man show. I believe power sharing make you more powerful,” he said. “I will try to give proper chances to performers as long as I’m here. My work will be incomplete if I’m not able to do justice to the players.”

“I directly spoke to Haris and Fakhar and took their tests. I believe that there should be a direct line of communication between the players and the selection committee"

“Babar Azam is the backbone of the Pakistan team and we will back him. His decision about declaration yesterday was a good one"

 

[BreadPakoda]

A bouncy pitch? Let’s see if they are able to doctor this one properly. Neil Wagner won’t mind it for sure.

 

[MenInG]

A bouncy pitch? Let’s see if they are able to doctor this one properly. Neil Wagner won’t mind it for sure.

Seems like a 2 day game if that happens.

 

[Hawkeye]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]
Afridi is here to stay and not doesn’t seem like till NZ tour only.

 

[Saj]

Two teams?

What's he mean?

 

[MenInG]

Two teams?

What's he mean?

LOI v Tests

Or

2 LOIs and 2 Test sides so they are backups?

 

[sweep_shot]

A bouncy pitch? Let’s see if they are able to doctor this one properly. Neil Wagner won’t mind it for sure.

Bouncy pitch may not suit this Pakistani attack. It may suit Kiwi bowlers more.

 

[MenInG]

Bouncy pitch may not suit this Pakistani attack. It may suit Kiwi bowlers more.

It will be a massacre for Pakistan batters

From road to minefield.

 

[Saj]

LOI v Tests

Or

2 LOIs and 2 Test sides so they are backups?

They should make one decent team, then dream of a backup team.

Look at the Test record this year, played 9 only won 1, lost 5 and drawn 3.

 

[greatest]

Bouncy pitch in 2 days?
Afridi as usual giving us plenty of entertainment. May the circus continue!

 

[greatest]

Afridi loved the limelight.
Why is he interested in the pitch preparation, he is a selector and should concentrate on his job.
He has sidelined Babar and Saqlain and is daily giving his views as if he is the captain or head coach. One word for Afridi - NARCISSIST!

 

[deems]

Afridi is a loose cannon. In his media talk, he called Babar's declaration, a brace decision. That more like aa bhai, mujhe maar decision.

You cannot make 2 team in 1 series. It takes years!
Unless, off course he being selects 2 pools of 20 players and says there you go, make 2 teams.lols

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Lol forget two teams, at least make one decent team that can start winning at home first. Pakistan's top order is minnow level and fans expect Babar to score century everytime.

 

[emranabbas]

Afridi loved the limelight.
Why is he interested in the pitch preparation, he is a selector and should concentrate on his job.
He has sidelined Babar and Saqlain and is daily giving his views as if he is the captain or head coach. One word for Afridi - NARCISSIST!

What a rubbish post

He has every right to know what type of pitch is being prepared so he could select the squad accordingly to the pitch

 

[Double Trouble]

New PCB is keeping us entertained

2 teams he’s loosing the plot as Pak can’t field one decent 11

 

[Bewal Express]

A laudable aim but it's not happening.

 

[greatest]

What a rubbish post

He has every right to know what type of pitch is being prepared so he could select the squad accordingly to the pitch

Yes, as a selector he has the right to know on which pitch he game will be played. But as a selector he has no right to interfere on how the pitch should be prepared.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

Yes, as a selector he has the right to know on which pitch he game will be played. But as a selector he has no right to interfere on how the pitch should be prepared.

As a selector, your functions are to give the captain the best pool of players to succeed. Giving the captain a pool of players means having more than 11 players to provide to the captain, to allow for injuries, form and pitch requirements. The selector cannot provide bench strength to the captain, if the available bowlers are being bowled into the ground on substandard pitches. Thus the selection pool is directly affected by the quality of pitches.

What is so difficult to understand?

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

Afridi is a loose cannon. In his media talk, he called Babar's declaration, a brace decision. That more like aa bhai, mujhe maar decision.

You cannot make 2 team in 1 series. It takes years!
Unless, off course he being selects 2 pools of 20 players and says there you go, make 2 teams.lols

Quite clearly, he isn’t going to be a selector for the very short term. He’ll be around for a couple of years and he wants to increase Pakistan’s bench strength. Don’t know what’s so controversial about that.

Regarding Babar’s declaration, whatever thoughts he may have, he can’t slag his captain off in public. So, if anything, it’s a pretty sensible statement Afridi’s made.

 

[JibranAnsari]

bouncy pitch , how do you do that in a couple of days? insert springs.

 

[Amjid Javed]

2 teams? is this why he picked a 22 man squad?

How about we focus on picking best starting 11 and stop picking passengers like Shan Masood etc..

 

[Shariq7]

Quite clearly, he isn’t going to be a selector for the very short term. He’ll be around for a couple of years and he wants to increase Pakistan’s bench strength. Don’t know what’s so controversial about that.

Regarding Babar’s declaration, whatever thoughts he may have, he can’t slag his captain off in public. So, if anything, it’s a pretty sensible statement Afridi’s made.

The focus should be on making a strong first team and then thinking about bench strength. But since his focus seems to be on improving the bench strength, maybe he can move some players from the first team to the bench

 

[boomboomcheema]

Very ambitious plan but would be happy to have half a team of good players instead of 2 good teams.

 

[Major]

Where was the test of haris sohail conducted? Karachi i suppose?

Sad that afridi is selecting convicted spot fixers

 

[Master Blaster]

The usual me..me..me..has started. It's all about me, myself and yours truly. Hope his stint as selector is as entertaining and long as his playing days.

The chief selector's job is to select the team, here, yours truly has gone one step ahead and has also selected the pitch. A bouncy one at that.

Suddenly there is a lot of spice and tamasha to look forward to.

 

[Dr Khan]

Sounds as dilutional as his wild swings while batting

 

[SamNJ]

Bouncy pitch in 2 days
2 teams in 2 series.
Typical Afridi )

 

[MenInG]

Shahid Afridi on Saturday indicated that his association with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the interim head of the selection committee may not last long due to his “commitments” with his charity foundation.

Speaking to reporters in Karachi, the former captain said that it will be “a bit difficult” for him to continue with his new responsibility [post-New Zealand series], saying the activities of his foundation required his person involvement.

The PCB Management Committee led by Najam Sethi had on December 24 appointed Afridi as the interim head of the selection committee for the home series against New Zealand comprising two Tests and three One-Day Internationals. The Kiwis are visiting Pakistan for the first time in 19 years.

Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum are other members of the tour-specific committee, while a member of the board’s management committee, Haroon Rashid, is the convener.

“We are here for this particular series and we want to do justice with our job,” Afridi told journalists.

He said the “communication gap” between players and the selection team was a major obstacle causing issues with the team.

Afridi said that his selection committee was working to develop two playing elevens’ worth of national talent.

It usually happens that players stay in their comfort zone knowing they don’t have a backup, and therefore, we are working on this aspect to ensure there is always a replacement for any player, he added.

To a question, Afridi said he believed in teamwork and never took decisions unlitarerally.

In response to another question about skipper Babar Azam’s position, the ex-captain said it was not his call to retain or remove a captain, adding it was the chairman’s prerogative to take such a call.

“We are deliberating upon preparing a pitch [for the next New Zealand Test] that may help bowlers and batsman alike.”

The interim chief selector also claimed that no player will face injustice during his days in power of the selection committee.

He said his committee was bridging the gap with players and meeting them individually to assess their fitness level to decide their potential inclusion in the team.

DAWN

 

[Kianig89]

Not possible on this Karachi Ground, may be they can leave the grass on it only to make it abrasive which might crack it and deteriorate it as the game lingers, but then again Pakistan don't have pacers to exploit such type of wicket

 

[Kroll]

We want our cricket to move forward but the pitches we have played on won’t help us do that. Such pitches are not good for bowlers. We are trying to make a bouncy pitch for the second Test.

As well as the two teams, maybe he's also planning to finally crack Australia.

 

[CleverSir]

The going is getting tough so now he can’t do this long term because of “charity commitments”.

 

[JattMaula]

Lala as always selfless in his pursuit of long term and sustainable future of PCT. 2 teams is minimum a test nation needs for consistent success across conditions (except NZ, they can somehow win with 7-8 real players)

 

[Mainul]

Bangladesh and Pakistan team management (I mean board chairman, selectors ) have one quality (!) in common.

They are all "Pagol" ,100 Percent pure Pagols (Mad)

 

[Mainul]

Indian team management was very good but they also seems to join these subcontinent "Pagols" group.

I m very sorry to utter this word and probably will be reprimanded by pakpassion moderator but I just find any other word to describe them.

 

[Mirpuri Don]

Afridi on the PCB in his 2019 book

As Afridi has (temporarily) joined the PCB administration I thought it’d be interesting to have his opinions about how to really change it, as he proposes in his 2019 autobiography Game Changer, chapter 26:

The problem of the PCB is not uncommon in Pakistan. There aren’t enough professionals within the organization. Instead, there are shortsighted bureaucrats who just want to save their own seats and skins. It’s not like they don’t work. Of course they do, but they don’t do – can’t do – anything grand or fantastic because they can’t think beyond tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

If the PCB adopts a long-term approach to the game, say for the next five to 10 years, then Pakistan cricket would be on a different trajectory of growth and development, and the nature of cricket in Pakistan would be different too. Sadly, the board thinks on a tournament-to-tournament basis and on sponsor-to-sponsor terms. It’s sad because, as it limits itself, it limits the game and stifles the achievements that men – like my teammates and myself – can bring home.

I hate recommending this but maybe if a couple of foreign professionals came in to manage the PCB as an aggressive, forward-looking business unit and took up the CEO (chief executive officer) or the COO (chief operating officer) role, or any position that is empowered, then Pakistan cricket would start to look and feel different. Other multinational companies in different sectors expand their horizons and operate similarly in Pakistan. Why can’t the PCB do the same with its international outreach and, perhaps, Pakistan’s most globally known product and brand
– Pakistan cricket?

 

[greatest]

If Afridi is so much involved in his charity work then why did he accept this interim position in the first place? Selecting and building a team requires time and patience. And now he has big plans which cannot be implemented in just one series. He is thinking like scoring 50 in just 17 balls.

Before planning for the team he should plan about himself.

He knows if results don't appear in a few months then it's better to quit and make charity work as an excuse. Hence accepting this position only on an interim basis. If the team performs well than stick around a bit more and quit just before the 2023 WC. Then who knows come back again and then leave again.

 

[ArabKnight]

The Afridi tenure can be epitomized by this single expression from Scam 1992:

“Lala, Risk Hai Toh Ishq Hai”

 

[moghul]

Pakistan is a big country but unfortunately being run by the people who have no intention or capability to do the job , at every level , whether it’s government or PCB . There got to be people with better IQ than Mr Afridi .

 

[Rana]

The right way to go about it

Ideally the second XI in T20i and ODI needs to play more and then you can draft in the key first team established players into the side for big tours

 

[IAJ]

Oh bhai pehle eik team tou achay tariqay say bana lou.

 

[munda_khi]

They should make one decent team, then dream of a backup team.

Look at the Test record this year, played 9 only won 1, lost 5 and drawn 3.

Totally agree.

 

[wrongun]

Most countries have a "white ball" team and a Test team, with mostly different players.

A few of the very best might play multiple formats but by having two teams, the multiple format talents don't have to play every series or every match and can manage workload.

So Afridi is talking sense. And as others say, it's a decent way to expose younger players to international cricket.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Can we focus on having one good team first? It's good that they are focusing more on having depth and like England, an identity needs to be built where no matter who is playing or injured, the replacement players play in a similar manner to the one they are replacing.

They should also focus on building a fortress at home. I know everyone values SENA wins more and that is certainly important but Pakistan needs to make itself unbeatable at home first and keep that consistency for years and then you can build towards winning in SENA once that is established. The domestic structure, pitches & balls used domestically will need to stay consistent first before there can be any sort of consistency with the national team.

 

[Farabi]

Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Shan
M Haris (wk)
Cachu
Shadab
Nawaz
Naseem
Shaheen
Rauf

Challenger 11:
Sharjeel
Rizwan
Abdullah Shafique
Kamran Ghulam
Haris Sohail
Khushdil Shah
Imad Wasim
Abrar Ahmed
Muhammad Wasim Jnr
Muhammad Amir
Hasnain

Who will win?

 

[Savak]

I would like Afridi and this selection panel to continue for atleast a year to year and a half to deliver results. They have injected some energy into the selection process. The selection of the squad of 15-20 and the final playing 11 has to be a consultative process bw the selectors and the team management where neither party dominates and where every player is selected following a logical factual discussion on form, past performances, current performances, domestic performances, pitch and playing conditions.

I hope the PCB manages to convince Afridi to continue and finds a way for him to balance his foundation commitments with this role. Let's see how Lala can give back to Pakistan Cricket.

 

[MenInG]

Interim selection committee held a meeting with Pakistan captain Babar Azam and head coach Saqlain Mushtaq

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[Kianig89]

And then Afridi woke up, please end this gimmicky

 

[BreadPakoda]

Ramiz - pitches this pitches that, positive cricket, fearless cricket, create a brand, etc.

Afridi - pitches this pitches that, positive cricket, fearless cricket, create a brand, etc.

 

[greatest]

Looks like this pitch will offer assistance to the seamers in the first session then it will gradually turn into a flat pitch. The question is will it start taking turn on the 4th and the 5th days.

 

[greatest]

Bouncy pitch in 2 days
2 teams in 2 series.
Typical Afridi )

Have seen green tops but never a bouncy pitch in Pakistan. Afridi just displaying his comedy skills.

 

[Saj]

Where are the players for these 2 teams going to come from.

I like the idea and love the passion, but we simply don't have enough world-class players for one team, how are we going to have 2 teams.

 

[deems]

Quite clearly, he isn’t going to be a selector for the very short term. He’ll be around for a couple of years and he wants to increase Pakistan’s bench strength. Don’t know what’s so controversial about that.

Regarding Babar’s declaration, whatever thoughts he may have, he can’t slag his captain off in public. So, if anything, it’s a pretty sensible statement Afridi’s made.

Quite clearly, it's well documented that he's only the interim selection head for this NZ series.

He doesn't have the patience nor the time to sign a full long term contract.
It's best he's only around for a few series at most.

 

[shamaan]

Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Shan
M Haris (wk)
Cachu
Shadab
Nawaz
Naseem
Shaheen
Rauf

Challenger 11:
Sharjeel
Rizwan
Abdullah Shafique
Kamran Ghulam
Haris Sohail
Khushdil Shah
Imad Wasim
Abrar Ahmed
Muhammad Wasim Jnr
Muhammad Amir
Hasnain

Who will win?

Batting wise challenger is better bowling wise first team is better.

 

[Doc77]

Fact is that Afridi lost more games than he won .... His style of cricket did a lot of harm to Pakistan cricket.... No thought went into his batting, just a pure slogger who could have won many more matches for Pakistan if he played for the team and not himself.

Now once again he is going to turn this into the Afridi show and make statements and decisions with little thought or common sense!!!

 

[Ami]

Fact is that Afridi lost more games than he won .... His style of cricket did a lot of harm to Pakistan cricket.... No thought went into his batting, just a pure slogger who could have won many more matches for Pakistan if he played for the team and not himself.

Now once again he is going to turn this into the Afridi show and make statements and decisions with little thought or common sense!!!

Spot on.
He was poor man's Dhoni.

 

[jupiter2007]

Fakhar
Imam
Babar
Shan
M Haris (wk)
Cachu
Shadab
Nawaz
Naseem
Shaheen
Rauf

Challenger 11:
Sharjeel
Rizwan
Abdullah Shafique
Kamran Ghulam
Haris Sohail
Khushdil Shah
Imad Wasim
Abrar Ahmed
Muhammad Wasim Jnr
Muhammad Amir
Hasnain

Who will win?

Is this a Test, ODI or T20 team?

If it’s ODI or T20, why Shan Masood and Haris Sohail in the team? Abdullah Shafique is also very mediocre against spinners and may be too slow for T20.

 

[moghul]

Why Afridi always wants to be in news , can he keep quite at for a day. Every new day a new stupidity. No selectors from other countries talk so much .

 

[Farabi]

Is this a Test, ODI or T20 team?

If it’s ODI or T20, why Shan Masood and Haris Sohail in the team? Abdullah Shafique is also very mediocre against spinners and may be too slow for T20.

This is ODI team. Wanted to include a mix of different types of players on it.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

We can’t put together ONE proper team in any format - and he is going to build two teams?

Looks we need to grab popcorn bags and watch the show,

 

[MenInG]

Where are the players for these 2 teams going to come from.

I like the idea and love the passion, but we simply don't have enough world-class players for one team, how are we going to have 2 teams.

Ramiz - pitches this pitches that, positive cricket, fearless cricket, create a brand, etc.

Afridi - pitches this pitches that, positive cricket, fearless cricket, create a brand, etc.

They should make one decent team, then dream of a backup team.

Look at the Test record this year, played 9 only won 1, lost 5 and drawn 3.

We can’t put together ONE proper team in any format - and he is going to build two teams?

Looks we need to grab popcorn bags and watch the show,

Hope Afridi knows what he is up against - making statements is easy but simple questions like above are what he needs to look at

 

[indianpanacea]

2ODI squads shall be
Fakhar
Sharjeel
Babar
Kamran Ghulam
M.Haris
Iftikhar
M.Nawaz
M.wasim jnr.
Abrar
Naseem Shah
M.amir
Vs
Imam
Rizwan
Abdullah shafiq
Haris Sohail
Saud shakeel
Umar Akmal
Shahdab
Zafar gowhar
Hassan ali
Shaheen
Haris
Vs
Haider Ali
Haseebullah khan
Abdullah bangalzai
Umar amin
Tayyab tahir
Hussain Talat
Mubasir khan
Amad butt
Usama Mir
Wahab riyaz
Zameer

 

[giri26]

So former world number 1 batter Rizwan will be dropped from the T20I squad and so will be the captain Babar Azam who has a career SR of 127. Lets see if he actually does this. If Babar plays then it means all this is hogwash.

 

[MenInG]

Shahid Afridi, who served as the chair of the interim selection committee for the recently concluded New Zealand series, while rejecting any alleged grouping among the players of the national team, admitted the fact that the liking-and-disliking culture did exist.

“There was no grouping found in the Pakistan team,” he said in a private ceremony on Monday. “I admit that captain’s liking and disliking do exist ”

“It had happened in the past and remained so during my tenure as well” he maintained.

 

[Boxer]

Here comes Lala, cheers. Slogs and goes 0 (1).

 

[Usman Chadda]

Shahid Afridi, who served as the chair of the interim selection committee for the recently concluded New Zealand series, while rejecting any alleged grouping among the players of the national team, admitted the fact that the liking-and-disliking culture did exist.

“There was no grouping found in the Pakistan team,” he said in a private ceremony on Monday. “I admit that captain’s liking and disliking do exist ”

“It had happened in the past and remained so during my tenure as well” he maintained.

The only captain that didn’t do that was Sarfraz to a certain extent, but he was found lacking severely in other areas.

Liking and disliking is inherently built-in in the desi culture. I don’t disagree with Sethi’s thought process of only hiring a foreign coach, as that massively impacts the team composition in Pakistan cricket. The captain, no matter how good or bad he is, needs a foreign coach to be kept in check.

 

[MenInG]

Not sure what the intention was from Afridi when he started off -

Making a claim like this, he must have known how long he is there for?

 

[Saj]

I think he would have carried on in the role, but the Shan as vice-captain situation probably led him to walk away.

 

[sweep_shot]

Afridi left very quickly. Why did he accept the offer in the first place then?