**On Afridi’s Selection & Future:
**“Shahid Afridi played against Afghanistan and he remained fit. Right now, the South Africans are playing our fast bowlers well and our bowling is struggling. We’ve seen that if you have a variety of spinners, it is a benefit. Shahid Afridi is a right arm spinner of which we have a lacking of. We have given the captain this option for the 5 ODIs. If it were only 2 or 3, then maybe we wouldn’t have selected him. Since there are 5, you need a variety. If at any stage you need him, you can play him.”
**“I’m not saying that Afridi will be a part of the playing XI. He will be a part of the 16 and will be available. He will be in the variety and available for whenever he’s needed in the series. Looking at the series, you want a second spinner to support Saeed Ajmal, I’m only referring to Afridi’s bowling. Not his batting capability.”
**
“We have sent Afridi based on his right-arm spin, which we are lacking of at the moment. If the fast bowlers were doing well, perhaps we wouldn’t have sent Afridi. There are 5 ODIs, not 1. The need for him might come up. There’s nothing wrong with having a variety.”
**“I believe that we should have variety in the team and there should be a right-arm leg-spinner in the team.”
“Afridi’s selection does not involve my personal interests. If that was the case, I would not have never dropped him in the first place.”
“South Africa is his last chance. He (Afridi) has to perform.”
**
On Team Selection and Criteria:
“The tests series is still happening. We’ve lost the series, but there is still a test to play so we can’t comment on the test squad.”
“Adnan Akmal was not playing when we made our selection for the test series. He played the last match after we had announced the team. Also, Sarfraz was in good form. The selection was based off performance. For us, both Adnan and Sarfraz are important. We sent Safraz to South Africa based off performance. Looking at his current performance, hopefully he will score runs in the third test. Our job is to send players based off performance. If a player doesn’t perform, he won’t be given a spot in the team.”
“No future for any player is ever closed. Once this tour is over, Aizaz Cheema will be considered for the next series. Wahab Riaz has performed better than Aizaz Cheema. I did not send Tanvir Ahmed to South Africa. That was the team management’s request. If he or any player doesn’t perform in the test series after being selected, then he won’t be considered the next time.”
“I did not call Tanvir Ahmed. That was team management’s call. We were responsible for sending the 16-man squad”
“Tanvir Ahmed performed well in domestic cricket. If he doesn’t perform well in Tests, he will be automatically out of the team”
“Any player who does not perform on the tour will not be considered for selection in later matches”
"Sarfraz Ahmed was given a chance through this entire Test series. It is unfair to player to play him for one match and then drop him for the team. It is clear in front all of us what his potential is. In the coming days, whoever is better for team will be in the team. "
"Based on the T20 team that went to India, we had a discussion with Mohammad Hafeez. He (Mohammad Hafeez) was not interested in having Asad Shafiq in the T20 team.
“Taking suggestions and input is part of the selection committee’s job - which we did in talking to both captains. Selecting the team is our job. If we don’t take input during the selection process , everyone will call the selection a ‘rubber stamp’.”
On Player Fitness:
“Regarding fitness levels, if a player becomes unfit during practice, than that is not my fault. If a player becomes unfit without even playing, than it must have happened during practice. We have a medical staff that tours with the team, it is their responsibility to keep the players fit.”
“I cannot take responsibility for the fitness of players when they are on tour”
“After the squad is selected, the team management comes in to play when the tour starts. The captain and team management’s request comes directly to the Chairman. The selection committee will 99.9% of the time give the go-ahead on this request because those requirements are assessed over there and not here.”
is back …Now the ODI series gets more interesting! :yk:
