PCB and Mohammad Amir both at fault: Shahid Afridi

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has said that both Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Mohammad Amir are at fault after the latter decided to retire from international cricket on Thursday.

Talking to Geo, the 45-year-old said that PCB and Amir could have handled the situation better. “Both the management and Mohammad Amir are responsible. If the elders had not started this, the younger ones would not get a chance to speak,” he said.

“Why are they communicating through media? They should sit in a room and talk it out,” he added.

Afridi suggested that Amir should have been more patient while taking such a big decision. “Amir's decision was also a bit harsh. There are challenges in life that every player faces. Strong and talented cricketers accept those challenges and make comeback with good performances,” he said.

The former player added that Pakistan cricket needs Amir and that the player still has a lot to offer to the national team. “Pakistan cricket needs Amir. He still has T20 and ODI cricket left in him,” he said “The pleasure in playing for Pakistan and representing your country is nowhere close to playing league cricket.”

Afridi said that PCB’s prompt reaction to Amir’s retirement decision showed that they did not have the player in its future plan. “PCB should have discussed its plans with Amir, their immediate reaction showed that their future plan was to keep the player on the sidelines,” he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Amir decided to retire from international cricket citing ‘mental torture’ and ‘hostile environment’ he faced at PCB’s end. He said upon his return, only Shahid Afridi and Najam Sethi had supported him. 

The board responded immediately later the same day confirming his retirement and saying they “respect” his decision. 

Read: PCB 'respects' Amir’s decision to quit international cricket

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