Waqar Younis blames Shahid Afridi for Pakistan's T20 fiasco

Waqar said that Afridi’s pressure brought the entire team down

Former Pakistan coach Waqar Younis blamed ex-skipper Shahid Afridi for the team's early exit from the World T20 and Asia Cup, and also said that Umar Akmal has to be dropped from the side.

These defeats had lead to the sacking of Pakistan's national selection committee, and Waqar and Afridi stepping down from their respective positions. In his compiled report about the Pakistan team, Waqar has blamed Afridi for poor captaincy and form during the Asia Cup and World T20.

"We lost to New Zealand, Asia Cup and T20 World Cup due to poor captaincy. On several occasions I had made it clear that Shahid Afridi was not performing with bat, ball or captaincy but I was not listened to. Poor tactics, really cost us matches. Meeting was held after the NZ T20 series where the boys emphasised that they felt confused with what the captain was telling them to do," said the report.

Waqar said that Afridi's pressure brought the entire team down. "Afridi did not attend few meetings or practice, a captain leads from the front, not like this. He was so fixated on his own performance that he did not execute any game plan or use the right players at the right time. His sudden decisions on changing the batting order or field placements did not help the team.

"He appeared to be under so much pressure and playing poorly as well, it really reflected poorly on the team. The whole team morale was down because they all felt the pressure from the captain. No matter how many times I talk to the players, it is the captain who has to lead the boys on the field and execute plans."

The blame game in the Pakistan cricket circuit has been going on for a while, with the team's former all-rounder Abdul Razzaq blasting Waqar for the side's plight this year.

Waqar also lashed out at Akmal for misbehaving with his domestic team coach. He wrote that the right-handed batsman had been summoned by the former chief selector for a fitness test to join the team in Sri Lanka for ODIs, but instead had flown to the West Indies for the Caribbean Premier League without informing anyone.

Waqar questioned the selection committee's criteria for retaining such players. "Is this what criteria we are setting for selection of new players? I can assure you that sacrificing one Umar Akmal will allow us to develop other players who can truly and proudly wear the star on their chest and represent Pakistan," the former pacer said.

The legendary bowler had resigned as the head coach earlier in 2011 after a brief stint with the team, and was reappointed in May 2014 for a two-year contract.