Afridi wants Sami, Shahzaib in T20 squad

Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi said Thursday that if he was asked for the team selection, he would have suggested fast bowler Mohammad Sami and opening batsman Shahzaib Hasan

While talking exclusively to The Sports Encounter correspondent here, Shahid Khan Afridi claimed that he has strong enough team to defend the ICC World T20 title and said that he has four to five match winners who can change the course of the game single-handedly.

When asked about potential dangerous teams in the World Cup, Afridi said, “I can’t cite any particular team as good and dangerous side because all participating teams are good sides but when you ask about my team, I think a heavy responsibility mounts over the senior players including me, Misbah ul Haq, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Asif and we are the main players, who should play critical role because our most players are new and are playing their first World Cup”.

Afridi played down Imran Nazir’s inclusion in the squad and said he failed to impress during the domestic Twenty20 Cup in Karachi. “I had closely observed his performance even till the last match of the domestic T20 tournament against Faisalabad Wolves but he again failed to find form and runs,” Afridi said.

It is important to mention here that Imran Nazir could only manage 54 runs in the recently concluded domestic T20 tournament with an average of 13.50 runs per innings.

“I wished Mohammad Sami and Shahzaib Hasan, who performed outstandingly in the RBS T20 should have been included in the squad however the selectors automatically picked up my third likely player (Mohammad) Hafeez,” Afridi added.

Earlier, Shahid Khan Afridi has lodged an appeal against the heavy fine imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the ball-tampering charge.

He had handed the letter to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) Wasim Bari on the eve of the Pakistan Day T20 Cup in Lahore.

“I have already handed the letter to the Wasim Bari (PCB COO), in which I have written that why I was penalised twice in one charge and appealed to waive my fine,” Afridi told.

The PCB had implemented the recommendations of an inquiry committee formed to evaluate Pakistan’s dismal performance against Australia in December and January. And for the shocking act (ball-tampering), which had brought the game and country into disrepute, Afridi was fined Rs3 million along with a warning issued by the Chairman PCB Ejaz Butt.

He is also on a six-month probation, during which his conduct will be strictly monitored. But after the detailed discussion with the concern, the PCB appointed Afridi as captain for the ICC World Twenty20, scheduled to take place in the West Indies next month.