"They should have taken action" - Salman Butt blasts Pakistan management for poor handling of Shaheen Afridi situation
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt isn't pleased with the way the Pakistan team management handled the situation surrounding star pacer Shaheen Afridi. According to several reports, the pacer was allegedly involved in a heated exchange with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf during their tour of the UK before the T20 World Cup.
Yousuf was apparently cautioning Afridi as the latter had been bowling too many no balls in the nets. The left-arm pacer allegedly responded by asking the batting coach to mind his own business.
Speaking on a local sports channel, here's what Salman Butt was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan:
"If the management thinks that Shaheen was not implementing the plans and was not cooperating with them intentionally, then they should have taken action. If he was not disciplined, then they should have dropped him and opted to go with some other player."
Butt opined that the Pakistan team management should have set the right example by taking disciplinary action against Shaheen Afridi and dropping him.
"Management’s job is not to complain but to take action" - Salman Butt
Salman Butt was also disappointed with reports of Pakistan's coaches complaining about the incident involving Shaheen Afridi to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Butt felt that instead of complaining, the coaches needed to show some spine by dropping Afridi. As they continued to play Afridi despite the incident, Butt felt that there was no point in complaining.
He stated (as per the aforementioned source):
"If you gave him full opportunity despite all these issues and are now complaining, I think anybody can do that. What’s the point of appointing [big names] with hefty salaries? Management’s job is not to complain but to take action."
Pakistan are set to play two Tests against Bangladesh in August and red-ball coach Jason Gillespie has hinted that Shaheen Afridi may be rested due to workload management. The left-arm pacer has also been denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the PCB for playing in the GT20 Canada citing workload reasons.