LAHORE: Former leg-spin great Abdul Qadir has advised flamboyant Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi to say goodbye to cricket and slammed batsman Umar Akmal, saying he lost his place in the national team because of his own mistakes. Qadir, known for his candid comments, said at a function on Thursday night that Afridi had aged and was no longer fit for top level cricket. “I don’t think cricket is any longer the forte of Afridi and he should say goodbye”” Qadir said. He also didn’t mince any words on the exclusion of batsmen Ahmad Shahzad and his son-in-law Umar from the list of probables for the tour to England. “To me Shahzad is simply more of an actor than a cricketer while Umar has lost his place in the team because of his own mistakes,” he added. Umar, who is married to Qadir’s daughter, has in recent months been at the centre of controversies raising questions over his commitment to the game.
Qadir also slammed the culture of favoritism and nepotism in Pakistan sports and cricket board. “This culture has destroyed the fabrics of our sports and particularly cricket. In every department in the Pakistan Cricket Board they are people who have been appointed because of favoritism and nepotism. Najam Sethi who heads the executive committee also came in because of the Prime Minister.” He said the PCB was wasting its time searching for a foreign coach and should instead appoint a local coach. “And if they still want to have a foreign coach I don’t think there is a better choice than the West Indian great Sir Viv Richards who is also interested himself in working with Pakistan cricket.” On the appointment of former captain, Inzamamul Haq as chief selector, the former Test spinner said he hoped he (Inzamam) had taken up the job after giving it lot of thought since there was a culture in the board which didn’t allow people to work properly. “Many of former players have either declined to join this board or been wasted and this is because they are not allowed to work properly and honestly,” he concluded.