Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has made shocking revelations, claiming that players are selected for the national team based on money and favouritism rather than merit. He questioned, “How will the team progress under such circumstances?”
According to reports, during a discussion on a private TV channel, Afridi stated, “I don’t want any contract from the board. I have always said that whenever you need me, I am available. I am ready to work at the grassroots level.”
Afridi also emphasized that Mohammad Yousuf’s expertise is needed more at the National Cricket Academy than with the national team. He said, “The team doesn’t need Mohammad Yousuf’s services as much as the National Cricket Academy does. He should work with batsmen on their techniques and help them improve.”
The former all-rounder stated, “I don’t understand why our star players only want coaching or official positions with the national team.”
Afridi further revealed, “At the Under-13, Under-16, and Under-19 levels, regional presidents take money from players or select them based on favouritism. How will cricket move forward this way?”
He concluded by saying, “When you don’t provide justice to a player from the very beginning, what kind of results are you expecting?”
Earlier, Afridi had also strongly reacted to swing legend Wasim Akram’s suggestion of making major changes in the national cricket team.
Following Pakistan’s early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy, Wasim Akram, along with several other former cricketers, had expressed disappointment and suggested that five to six senior players should be dropped. He had argued that despite their presence, the national team had failed to win major tournaments.
Speaking on Ten Sports, Wasim Akram had criticized players like Mohammad Rizwan and urged selectors to make bold decisions to improve the team. He had emphasized that Pakistan should have started planning for the 2026 T20 World Cup immediately.
“We had been losing despite having these players for years. The time had come to make five to six big changes in the team. Even if we had to endure defeats for six months, we should have supported and given opportunities to young players,” Wasim Akram had stated.
However, Shahid Afridi, while speaking on a private TV channel, had questioned Akram’s remarks and asked, “Wasim Bhai should have told me, if we dropped five or six players, did we have replacements ready to take their place?”
Afridi had added that removing big names from the squad could have also led to criticism, and if the desired results had still not materialized, then what would have been the next step?
He had further stated, “When new players came in, they would have used the excuse that they were preparing for the World Cup, and then the process of ‘surgery’ would have started all over again.”
It merits mention that Pakistan had been knocked out of the ICC Champions Trophy in the first round after suffering humiliating defeats against New Zealand and India.
