Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has spoken about how he treats his son-in-law Shaheen Afridi. He said that he praises the fast bowler less and scolds him more because for him all the players in the Pakistan cricket team are equal and he treats them equally.
Pakistan’s premier league cricketer Shaheen Afridi has been in the news for a while now. Things have not been going well for him in the past few months and apart from his on-field performances, he has also been in the news for his off-field antics.
After the 2023 ICC World Cup, Shaheen Afridi was given the captaincy of the team in the white-ball game, but he did not have time to prove his worth. The fast bowler was given only one series as a leader, in which they lost 4-1 against New Zealand. After that, he was sacked as captain and Babar Azam again took over the leadership.
It has been reported that Shaheen Afridi is not happy with the way he was treated by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It has even been learnt that his relationship with Babar Azam is not good as there are tensions in the Pakistan dressing room.
After the 2024 T20 World Cup, it was reported that coach Gary Kirsten had accused Shaheen Afridi of misbehaving in the team and also disturbing the team atmosphere. After that, even the chairman of the board stated that they would not tolerate any indiscipline in the team.
Speaking about Shaheen Afridi, Shahid Afridi stated that he always analyses things and claimed that he scolds the player more than praising him. He also called Pakistan players as sons of the country. Speaking during an event, he explained:
“Because I analyse everything and then talk about it. I talk about things keeping in mind cricket, captaincy and performances. Shaheen ki tareef mujhe aap logo ne kam karte suna hoga, dant’te hue, udate hue aapne mujhe bohot dafa suna hoga. (You must have heard me praise Shaheen very little, instead, you must have heard me scolding him often.) For me, all the boys in the Pakistan team are equal to me. They are the children of this country.”
They are the children of this country – Shahid Afridi on Pakistan players
Shahid Afridi further noted that when Pakistan team players play well, everyone feels happy because they can walk down the street with their heads held high.
“They are the children of this country. They play well. We are happy. We walk in the streets with respect for the outside world. Alhamdulillah. I have seen that whenever I say something, people take it negatively. That is why I have stopped talking about it.”
“Shaheen Ki Taareef Main Kam He Karta Hun, Main Dant’ta Ziada Hun Usko,” said former captain Shahid Afridi#TOKReports #ShahidAfridi #ShaheenShahAfridi pic.twitter.com/Z29QOrYrO3
— Times of Karachi (@TOKCityOfLights) July 29, 2024
Pakistan national cricket team is all set to take on Bangladesh national cricket team in the two-match Test series to be played in August this month. The series will be played from August 21 to September 3.