Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has ruled out any major changes in the national team, saying 'the World Cup 2016' is around the corner. So, there will not be many changes". Speaking with the media at the Qadhafi Stadium before a practice match on Wednesday, Afridi made it clear that the key to win a match was "to sustain long partnerships".
About pacer Mohammad Aamir, he said the latter had never lied to him and that prompted him to support his comeback. "When I met him [Aamir] in England, he accepted his mistake the very first time and afterwards he remained quiet and never criticised the team," said Afridi. "When he accepted it, he then completed his punishment, and he is now performing in competitive cricket. It is natural that he deserves a chance and that is why I'm backing his selection."
On two spot-fixing tainted cricketers Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif, Afridi said, "The case of both cricketers is different and both should look at their own behaviour before thinking about representing Pakistan again. Salman and Asif should look at themselves," he said. "They had lied to the whole nation for two to three years, and then they criticised the team on television." In reference to the exclusion of pacer Muhammad Irfan, he said, "The player is not completely out of the team yet. However, even if Muhammad Aamir fails to receive a visa in time, Pakistan will still have enough talent to be a match winner in the New Zealand tour."
But then he had a row with one of reporters when he asked the veteran all-rounder about how he could improve his captaincy in 2016 he claimed "was the worst amongst top-eight T-20 teams" in terms of the win-loss ratio. An irate Afridi felt contempt for the reporter. After his media chit-chat, he then went straight to the practice match as the protesting reporters crowded around team manager Intikhab Alam, complaining about Afridi's rudeness. They also demanded an apology.
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