KARACHI: Former captain Shahid Afridi appealed to Pakistan’s leader for help Wednesday after his middle contract was suspended while he announced his retirement from worldwide cricket.
The 31-year-old all-rounder, deserted as one-day captain following a row with trainer Waqar Younis last month, quit worldwide cricket in protest at his behavior by the Pakistan Cricket panel (PCB).
In reply, the PCB suspended his central contract and revoked all his no-objection certificates, meaning he will not be legitimately permitted to play overseas.
The move will stop him from playing for Hampshire in England’s Twenty20 union and in next month’s Sri Lankan Premier League.
Afridi said he had appealed to leader Asif Ali Zardari to help.
“I have appealed to the head to intervene immediately, also deal with other issues and save the game from getting into more crises,” Afridi told AFP by cell phone from Southampton.
Afridi inveterate that the England and Wales Cricket Board stopped him from playing after the PCB revoked its go-ahead.
“The captaincy was not an issue as I have already played under senior players, but it was a matter of self respect and honour which was damage,” said Afridi who refused to speak about the PCB sanctions.
The resistance Pakistan Muslim League-N party has previously submitted an adjournment motion in the national congregation against Afridi’s punishment.
Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, who now heads his own opposition party, said the PCB was not run efficiently.
“The panel is not run like an institution,” Khan told a television channel.
“Afridi feels injustice is done so he has taken a decision and you don’t adjust four-five captains in a year.”
“Just recently everybody was praising Afridi after he led Pakistan to the semi-final of the World Cup and then rapidly this happened,” said Khan.
“The board is also run on ad-hoc source like the country,” he added.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which belongs to the coalition administration headed by Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party, too objected to the sanctions on Afridi.
“President Zardari should take notice of the biased attitude of the board,” said MQM leader Farooq Sattar. “You don’t pleasure national heroes like this.”
Sports Minister Shaukatullah Khan lashed out at PCB chairman Ijaz Butt over the “injustice” and said he would discuss the matter with Prime parson Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, who heads the sports group in the upper house of parliament, demanded Butt’s firing.
“A change in the PCB is imperative,” said Qureshi. “Butt has not allowed any head to settle so it will be better to sack him.”
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