Afridi does not deserve a place in the team: Javed Miandad

Defeat against India has frustrated every Pakistan cricket fan. And on Tuesday the great Javed Miandad also joined the chorus with some very blunt views on captain Shahid Afridi.

India overcame a fiery spell from Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir to pummel their opponents by five wickets in a key Asia Cup T20 match in Mirpur, Bangladesh, on Feb 27.

Batting first, Pakistan were wrapped up for a humiliating 83 runs as they avoided their lowest T20 score by just 9 runs.

Miandad criticised the national side for its meek surrender but it was none other than the Pakistan skipper who came under his radar.

“How can you have a player who is not reliable. Afridi lost his place in the side a long time ago,” Miandad said while talking to a private news channel.

“How you can expect to win or make your cricket better when a player who has stopped being a reliable performer is your captain,” he added.

Miandad said that due to nepotism and favouritism, Pakistan’s domestic circuit was not producing quality cricketers.

Blaming the Pakistan Cricket Board for poor state of affairs, Miandad said: “Do they not know what is going on? Do they not notice what is happening to our cricket?”

Miandad said the selection committee and the players who do not perform should be sacked. “Many Pakistani players lacked cricket sense and did not have an aptitude for the game.”

He was of the view that the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) had not produced any talent for the national team. “I don’t see any player in the PSL who is so good that he can get a contract in the Big Bash or IPL,” he said.

Miandad, a former coach of the national team, said someone like Virat Kohli was successful in at least 70 to 80 per cent of the innings that he played, while in contrast Pakistani players were rarely consistent.

He said it was saddening to see Pakistan continuously losing to India and recalled the days when Green Shirts used to emerge victorious in most of the matches against the arch-rivals.