Shahid Afridi wants domestic cricket to improve in Pakistan

Former Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi recently expressed his happiness over the heroics of the national side in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. He lauded the team for their monumental title win in the tournament. However, he has urged the cricket board to continue working on the domestic circuit to keep the standards of the cricket in Pakistan at the peak level.

As per the quotes in The Tribune, Shahid Afridi remarked that nobody had given the Pakistani team a chance in the tournament but they still ended up winning the title. He hopes that the domestic structure of cricket in Pakistan will improve with better standard of playing coming to the fore. He does not want the team to settle in with just one title.

“No one had any expectations that this team would even reach the semi-finals but the way they played and went all the way deserves appreciation. This is the beauty of ICC tournaments that no one can expect who will be in the finals. Any team can spring surprises,” quoted Shahid Afridi.

“I have been and will keep on saying that the structure of domestic cricket in Pakistan should be modified and the quality of pitches, balls and standard of umpiring should be improved. We cannot relax after winning the trophy. We have to work a lot on the domestic structure to keep the national team consistent,” he added.

On the younger lot in the team

Afridi looked very pleased with Fakhar Zaman – the man of the finals of the Champions Trophy. He noted that the team needed an aggressive batsman at the top order and Zaman is best suited for the role. Giving a word on seniors, Shahid Afridi believes that if the team can find replacements for the senior players with same caliber, then even the seniors would be more than happy to vacate the positions for them.

“There is a need of attacking openers who can score quick runs for the team and Fakhar fits the bill,” he said. “If they are able to find cricketers of the seniors’ calibre then they can be replaced but I still don’t see any players who are at par with Younus Khan and Misbah-ul Haq. Once they can find players of that calibre, then I think there are many seniors who will vacate their positions for youngsters,” Afridi added further.

Plans of starting academy

Afridi, on the personal front, is planning to start an academy for young cricketers. The academy will not only focus on cricket but help the players develop their language skills and computer skills.

“I have been in talks with city mayor Waseem Akhtar and he is providing me the land for an academy, which besides cricket, will also give English, computer courses and financial assistance to best young cricketers,” he conceded.