Shaheen Afridi unhappy as PCB releases fake statement attributed to him

Shaheen Afridi has expressed dismay following the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) release of a falsified statement attributed to him subsequent to his removal from the T20I captaincy.

On Sunday, the PCB announced Babar Azam as the new captain for white-ball cricket, taking over from Shaheen Shah Afridi in T20Is.

Shaheen had already been disheartened by his abrupt dismissal from the T20I captaincy without clear justification. The PCB explained their decision to remove Shaheen in a press release, citing their commitment to managing the pacer’s workload effectively to sustain peak performance levels.

However, within the same press release, a statement purportedly from Shaheen was included, which he neither endorsed nor approved.

Sources revealed that Shaheen promptly contacted the board to protest against this misrepresentation. Although he contemplated refuting it on social media, concerns about exacerbating the situation led his close associates to advise against it. Nevertheless, Shaheen remained deeply unsettled by the incident well into the night.

The fabricated statement attributed to Shaheen expressed gratitude for his tenure as captain and emphasized his commitment to supporting Babar Azam, stressing their shared objective of elevating Pakistan's cricketing stature.

“It was an absolute honour to captain the Pakistan National Cricket Team. I will always cherish the memories and the opportunity. As a team player, it is my duty to back our captain, Babar Azam. I have played under his captaincy and have nothing but respect for him. I will try to help him on and off the field. We are all one. Our aim is the same, to help Pakistan become the best team in the world,” the aforementioned statement quoted Shaheen as saying.

Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB, is expected to head to Kakul soon for a meeting with Shaheen.