Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar on Thursday (December 17) revealed that he wasn't treated well by the PCB management during the 2011 cricket World Cup.
Akhtar’s comments came after pacer Mohammad Amir announced his retirement from international, claiming he was “being mentally tortured” by the current management.
"To be honest, I don't think I can play cricket under this management, I am leaving cricket, for now, I am being mentally tortured, I cannot handle it, I have seen it enough from 2010-2015. I have to repeatedly hear that PCB invested a lot in me, I am thankful to Shahid Afridi as he gave me chances when I came back after the ban," Amir said in a video that has now gone viral on social media.
PCB chief executive Wasim Khan had a word with Amir on Thursday afternoon after reports emerged that the left-arm fast bowler had quit international cricket.
"Amir confirmed to the PCB chief executive that he has no desires or intentions of playing international cricket and as such, he should not be considered for future international matches," PCB had said in an official statement.
Sharing his two cents on this issue, Akhtar said Amir should have dealt with the PCB management by performing well in cricket.
"I openly say that I was not treated well during the 2011 World Cup, not by Afridi but by the rest of the management. I am saying it openly. I was harassed but I didn't care as I had already announced my retirement," Shoaib Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
"Amir should have bowled well and improved his performance so that no one could remove him from the team. You have to face your fears and you must confront management but by performing," he added.
Akhtar claimed that he would train Amir to bowl at a speed of over 150km/h in just two months.
"If you hand Amir to me for two months, everyone will see him bowling over 150km/h. I can teach him that I taught him three years ago. He can make a comeback," he stated.
Having made his international debut in 2009, Amir represented Pakistan in 36 Tests, 61 ODIs, and 50 T20Is. He picked up 259 wickets across three formats of the game.
Last year, Amir had announced his retirement from Test cricket in order to prolong his white-ball career. However, the decision saw him receiving flak from the fans and former cricketers.
(With ANI inputs)
