Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain and popular all-rounder Shahid Afridi urged authorities not to chase after sporting rival India to play a cricket series against his country, saying his team can play against other sides.
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I don’t know why we are after them to play the series again and again. If we give good offers to foreign players I don’t see any reason why they won’t come.
Butt, that has not stayed unapologetic for his participation in the scandal since his five-year prohibition stopped, was made Pakistan Test captain on the 2010 tour.
Afridi – who admitted that a Indo-Pak series would be bigger than the Ashes – insisted that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should not be too peturbed if the Indian team is unwilling to visit the country and should instead focus on perusading other nations to tour.
Shahid Afridi expressed his opinion as the PCB is still waiting for the positive response from Indian cricketing officials for December’s planned Test and limited-overs series in the United Arab Emirates. The Pakistan Cricket Board had announced that the inaugural edition of the league would be held in Doha, Qatar in February 2016.
Pakistan are now scheduled to play two Twenty20 Internationals against Zimbabwe later this month.
Afridi reasoned that Pakistan was a better destination to host the PSL as it will help revive cricket in the country.
The cricket fraternity is divided on whether the players should be allowed to make a comeback in the team or not with some suggesting that it would be unfair to the young crickters and will set a bad example, while some believe that they deserve a second chance at redemption. “It looks good if our grounds get revived, filled with crowds and our own players get the maximum benefit out of it”.
According to details, Australian cricketer Brad Hodge officially applied to play Pakistan Super League. “It isn’t possible that we invite foreigners and (they) do not come. We have always supported India in tough times, but it’s their government decision”, he said. “Even the matches here in Pakistan, in our home series, we never won them easily “, Afridi said.
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Afridi said Pakistan were not underestimating their opponents. Skipper Afridi has also stated that he will no longer be playing the T20 format after the tournament.
