Tuesday, May 31, 2011

We Want Shahid Afridi Back!


Well Pitched has been a massive supporter of Shahid Afridi for a long time now - not only for Afridi the cricketer, but Afridi the captain. We wrote about how well Afridi captained domestic sides in Pakistan, we wrote about how he should have been made captain long before he was, we wrote about why he is Pakistan's most valuable player, and a whole lot more.

Need I say more?

Ijaz Butt has single handedly destroyed Pakistan cricket since he took over as Chairman. He destroyed Mohammad Yousuf's career, tried to finish off Younis Khan's, and now he's on to Shahid Afridi.

This can't go on!

Shahid Afridi should be back in the Pakistan team, and he should be back where he belongs - as captain of the ODI and T20 teams.

How can you take the captaincy away from a man who has won you ODI series, who captained the team to the World Cup semifinals against all odds, who brought together a team that was down in the dumps with scandal after scandal?

It is simply wrong!

Enough is enough and Ijaz Butt needs to go!

Make your pitch on this post...



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6 Pitched:

  1. Abdullah said...
     

    He should have been axed from captaincy. It needed to be done. He was asking for it. This is the one thing Ijaz Butt has done right during his tenure incharge. He breached the code of conduct several times even after repeated warnings. His media outburst about Waqar was the final nail in the coffin. Remember his conduct and behaviour was so unsatisfactory that he was only confirmed as WC captain 2 weeks before the tournament. His retirement was a personal decision. Afridi could still have easily played in the team as a player if he wanted, but he decided his ego was too big & attitude was too bad. His antics & conduct has been disgracefully poor throughout his captaincy days ever since he decided to ditch the team by leaving test cricket. He was a very poor role model & influence to have as captain of a national team. As a player he always wants to be in the spotlight and has a big problem of playing under different captains which have been evident by the way he has acted under Malik, Younis, Yousuf & now Misbah with his refusal to play in Ireland using his father’s deteriorating health as an excuse, but he has turned up in the UK 12 hours later to play for Hampshire in the Friends Provident Twenty20 tournament. His record as captain is not even all that good results wise: 53% wins in ODIs & 42% wins in T20s including 1 win in the last 8 matches. To be honest, he was the one who created most of the hassle & controversies in the first place. Not what you want from a captain. Totally irresponsible, immature & unprofessional. He got what he deserved. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the brains to realise his responsibilities and mistakes.

  2. Abdullah said...
     

    He has been treated more fairly than any other player. They tolerated his inconsistency for years & years. His troubles off the field have regularly been forgotten & overshadowed. About time they finally woke up & took a stance on one or the other. In a proper cricketing establishment like Australia such a player would have been dismissed years ago...just look at what they did to Andrew Symonds as an example..

  3. Abdullah said...
     

    One stable, deserving, naturally gifted & dependable captain across all formats is best for the team progressing forward. Misbah provides that package.

    Age is just a number. Results matter. Performances matter. Imran Khan was captained when he was 40.


    He has played the biggest part in reforming, rejuvenating, stabilising and uniting Pakistan Cricket after the horrors of 2010 which Afridi was part of with his mediocre performances, personal assaults against team members & ball biting fiasco. His presence in the camp has fathered a good team atmosphere and his performances have been nothing but spectacular everywhere. He has relished the responsibilities, provided leadership qualities and guided the team in the right direction through his wisdom, professionalism, respectable stature and cricketing intellect.

  4. Anonymous said...
     

    Isn't this just another exchange of salvos in his ongoing battle with Pakistan cricket anyway? Who's to say he won't rescind it next week?

  5. Mudassar said...
     

    We need a big and massive campaign not to bring back Afridi but actually to get rid of Ijaz Butt and his team bcoz it not just the matter of Afridi it is Pakistan cricket our loved game at danger of going West Indies route or even worse.

    So stop comparing Afridi the good and Afridi the bad and concentrate on bigger and important task of saving Pakistan cricket, this need to be massive launched from some where some how.

  6. salman said...
     

    two things need to be mentioned Umair. One why is it that afridi has offered his conditional retirement. Secondly, and more importantly it is Ejaz Butt and his team that we need to get rid off.

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