"Shahid Afridi more of a liability than a utility"

Karachi News.Net
Tuesday 18th November, 2008 (ANI)

Islamabad, Nov 18 : Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has become more of a liability than a utility in recent times for the national side, so he should be axed, the country's former Test fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz has said.

Nawaz said that everytime Afridi is included into the team on the basis of his so-called charishma.

Going though a lean phase of his cricketing career for quite some time, Afridi had failed to impress in the just concluded ODI series against West Indies in Abu Dhabi, which Pakistan won 3-0. during the series, he scored 38 only with a poor average of less than 13 runs per innings, and took three wickets conceding almost 46 runs per wicket.

"The time has come for the selectors to start seeing beyond Afridi. He is neither a reliable batsman nor a bowler and continues to earn a place on the national team on his so-called charisma rather than the performance. He definitely is a liability and at the same time a big hurdle in the way of talented youngster," The News quoted Sarfraz as saying.

He added: "I do not know why the selectors continued to pick him at the time when he proves a big failure during 2008. Look he is in the team for scoring 8-10-18 runs. His record for the whole of 2008 is pathetic."

Advising the selectors to look for a youngster, he said: "A talented youngster would definitely make his mark in international cricket. The national team cannot effort performances like Afridi had shown in the whole of 2008 where in ten matches he scored with the average of 13 runs per innings."

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