Ahmed Shehzad's insult forced Waqar Younis to quit as coach before 2015 WC

Shehzad and Waqar fight may be the reason why he quit as coach before 2015 World Cup

Another controversy from Pakistan cricket has hit the headlines as former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt claimed that national team head coach Waqar Younis had temporarily resigned, before the 2015 World Cup, after being insulted by Ahmed Shehzad.

“PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan told me about the incident and asked me to speak to Waqar to change his mind after he had submitted his resignation when the team returned home from a series," Butt said to the Press Trust of India.

"Apparently one of the players misbehaved with Waqar and insulted him calling him a "sifarashi" during a series. Waqar retaliated physically and the matter went to the Board," Butt revealed.

According to Butt, Waqar decided to step down after manager Naveed Akram Cheema (who has now resigned) reported the incident in the dressing room to the Board. Butt informed that he had himself advised the youngster to mend his ways and build a cricket career for himself.

"I had told him (Shehzad) he was too much under the influence of Shahid Afridi and pandered to him. Waqar was very upset but I convinced him that it was not the right time to resign and he should continue," said Butt, who was Chairman from October 2008 to October 2011.

Butt said that he also had an interaction with Cheema, who had informed him of the incident. From what he could understand, the manager said few players were misbehaving with Waqar and challenging his authority in the dressing room.

Ironically, even during the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, there were reports of Shehzad, Umar Akmal and another player not getting along with Waqar. After the tournament, the head coach and captain Misbah-ul-Haq had recommended to the Board to sideline both the youngsters. He asked them to play domestic cricket,until they improved their attitude towards the game and behaved like disciplined individuals.

Even recently Shehzad's name cropped up, during an inquiry into the Lahore team’s poor show in the National T20 championship. There were unconfirmed reports that he had pressurised the Lahore captain Azhar Ali, who also happens to be the captain of Pakistan's one-day squad.

Shehzad, on his part, denied behaving inappropriately and said he was ready to face any inquiry.