Pakistan's Shahid Afridi opens up on team politics after Shoaib Malik took over as captain

Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has revealed that he wanted to retire from international cricket after Shoaib Malik became captain of the side. Afridi, while speaking to Pakistan's local media, said a lot of politics had begun inside the dressing room after Shoaib Malik took over as captain of the side in 2007. Malik remained captain until 2009 before he was replaced with an experienced Younis Khan, who led the Men in Green to their maiden T20 World Cup victory the same year. After Younis took retirement from the game, Afridi was appointed the captain of the side. 

Afridi on Shoaib Akhtar controversy

Afridi also talked about the infamous incident involving Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar, where the latter had reportedly hit fellow teammate Mohammed Asif with a bat during the 2007 World Cup. Afridi brushed it off and said "things happen", adding "Shoaib has a very beautiful heart". Earlier, Shoaib Akhtar, in his autobiography Controversially Yours, had accused Afridi of aggravating the issue, which resulted in him being sent home mid-tournament from South Africa. Afridi said that Asif had sided with him in a joke, which angered Akhtar, who hit the Pakistani pacer with a bat.  

Afridi, who is regarded as one of the best all-rounders of his era, lead Pakistan in the 2011 ICC World Cup, which was being jointly held in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Afridi helped his team reach the semi-final, where the Men in Green were knocked out of the tournament after a 29-run defeat against India. Afridi emerged as the joint highest wicket-taker in the World Cup alongside India's Zaheer Khan, who played one extra game than the former Pakistani great. Afridi went on to play four more World Cups for his country - three World T20s and one 50-over World Cup in 2015. 

Afridi played 27 Tests for his country, in which he scored 1,716 runs at an average of 36.51 and took 48 wickets. he also played 398 ODIs and 99 T20Is for his country, scoring 8,064 and 1,416 runs respectively.  Afridi, who played for 21 long years, holds several world records to his name, including the record for taking most wickets as captain in T20Is. 

IMAGE: AP