KARACHI: Shaheen Shah Afridi has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that he will be available for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh which will begin in August in Rawalpindi, sources told Geo News on Saturday.
The camp for the Bangladesh series will begin on August 6 and Shaheen will likely participate in it.
Shaheen has been in the news for some days due to his altercation with Mohammad Yousuf during Pakistan’s tour to England just before the T20 World Cup 2024.
A day after reports from Lahore suggested that coaches and management had complained to the chairman PCB over Shaheen’s attitude during the recent tour, it emerged that Afridi, in fact, had exchanged heated words with Yousuf, but had later said sorry to him.
Multiple sources within Pakistan cricket team management confirmed that the issue was “heat-of-the-moment” and it was sorted out immediately and there was nothing to report about it.
Recalling the incident, a source told Geo News that while Afridi was bowling in nets at Headingly, Mohammad Yousuf – who was the batting coach with the team on tour of Ireland and England – had pointed towards his no-balls.
Upon being called out for bowling no-balls repeatedly, Shaheen got furious – and this is the point where it started.
“Shaheen said to Mohammad Yousuf to let him do what he was doing and he [Yousuf] should mind his own business,” said a source adding that Yousuf responded to Shaheen that he was a coach and doing his job.
The source added that the argument got heated-up.
Later-on, the senior manager Wahab Riaz had reprimanded Shaheen Afridi on his attitude, Shaheen had accepted his mistake and had said sorry to the former batting legend.
“This was nothing more than routine case of heat-of-the-moment, so the chapter was closed there and then,” said the source when asked why it wasn’t reported to the PCB
Atique ur Rehman Atique ur Rehman is a senior reporter for Geo News.- Shaheen Afridi
