Shahid Afridi slams PCB for easy selection of new players in national team

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for giving new players an easy entry into the national side. In an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Afridi stated that the PCB has made it easier for emerging players to represent the country at the highest level. The 44-year-old believes that cricketers should play more domestic games before being selected to play for Pakistan. Afridi believes that players should be part of the domestic set up for at least two years in order for their temperament to be better assessed.

Afridi not alone in pointing out selection flaws

Afridi is not the first Pakistani to point out the flaws in the selection process of PCB. Salman Butt, a former Pakistan international, had previously suggested the same thing. Butt had raised concerns about the selection of a couple of players who had been drafted into the squad despite having little domestic experience. Several other former Pakistani cricketers, including Ramiz Raja and Shoaib Akhtar, have previously expressed similar concerns about the selection process. Earlier, Pakistan pacer Mohammed Amir, who took premature retirement from international cricket, had also slammed PCB for a flawed selection process. 

Just recently, Azam Khan, son of former Pakistani great Moin Khan, was named in the T20I squad for Pakistan's tour of England. Khan doesn't have much experience playing in the domestic setup as he has featured in just 8 first-class matches since his debut for Sindh in 2020-21 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. There are several other examples like Khan in the current Pakistani squad. 

Meanwhile, Afridi, who has played for Pakistan between 1996 and 2018, will feature as captain of Rawalakot Hawks in the newly-launched Kashmir Premier League (KPL). The franchise tournament will be the first for people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and will feature six teams representing the cities in the region. All matches in the competition are scheduled to be played between August 6 and August 16 in Muzaffarabad Stadium in PoK.

(Image Credit: AP)