PCB wants Shahid Afridi to officially retire from all formats

According to a report in the Daily Jang, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to offer the 36-year old former captain Shahid Afridi a chance to officially retire from all formats of the game. PCB wants Afridi to gracefully call it quits during the 3-match T20I series against the West Indies in the UAE.

A PCB source stated that the board has no issues with Afridi being part of any other T20 leagues around the world but clarified that the current national setup has no place for him. “Apparently the board and national selectors don’t agree and feel that Afridi should retire gracefully although he can continue to play in foreign leagues and domestic cricket,” a PCB source was quoted saying.

The series against West Indies is their only T20I series this year and their next T20I assignment comes in April 2017. Amidst such a backdrop, PCB wants to reach a final conclusion on Shahid Afridi’s retirement. The 15-member squad for the West Indies series was announced recently and Afridi was not a part of it. The board is now planning to include him as the 16th member.

The PCB is keen on developing a new face T20 team and prepare for the next World T20 in a bid to come up with better performances in the shortest format of the game. And the board is quite clear on the fact that the new face team certainly has no place for someone like Shahid Afridi.

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“The plan is to talk to Afridi and explain to him that since the selectors are now building a new T20 squad for the next World T20 there is no place for him. He will be offered the chance to be included in the Pakistan squad for the T20 series against the West Indies as 16th player and play in the matches,” said the PCB source.

If Afridi agrees to retire from all forms of the game, the board is willing to give him a grand farewell in the UAE after the T20Is against West Indies.

“The PCB also wants to organise a grand farewell for him in Dubai during the T20 series for which the selectors have already announced a 15-member squad,” the source added.

Earlier this year, Afridi had stepped down as the captain of the national T20 team after a dismal outing in the World T20 in India. Now this news has come in a couple of days after Afridi had quoted that he would retire on his own terms rather than being pushed towards the retirement.

Also read – I will retire on my own terms: Shahid Afridi

Pakistan will play West Indies in 3 T20Is on September 23, 24 and 27.