Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has reportedly said that he has been offered a role in the Pakistan Cricket Board after his meeting with interim PM Anwar-Ul-Haq Kakar on Friday, November 3, 2023.
This comes days after Shahid Afridi had slammed Chairman of the PCB Management Committee Zaka Ashraf and asked him to do his job properly.
“Zaka Ashraf is not running a club. He’s the chairman of PCB. He should keep a lot of things in mind. You are calling the owners of a media house and saying that somebody is saying things about you. For God’s sake, do your job. Deliver what is expected from you. They are talking about you because you are giving them the chance. Just do your job,” an agitated Afridi had said on SAMAA TV.
Pakistan team is currently playing the ICC World Cup 2023 in India and their possibility of playing in the semi-finals hangs by a thread.
As per Geo Super report, Afridi had met with Kakar to discuss cricket issues including his association with the PCB in the future. The two also talked about the performance of the Babar Azam-led unit in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 and the grooming of cricketers from the grassroots to the international level.
“I received a call from the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday and had to rush to Islamabad to meet the PM. It was really a pleasure talking to the PM on cricketing issues. He looked keen on the proper training of youth and grooming them in a systematic way so that they could go on to make a name for themselves and for the country,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
The cricketer told another organisation, The News, that the Pakistan PM wanted him to play a role in PCB.
“I sought some time to decide on my association with the future PCB. What Pakistan cricket requires is systemic and par-excellence training of the players from the start to the top level. That has not been happening in Pakistan cricket with the result that we struggle to polish the available talent and make them a real-world beater,” he told The News.
This meeting came after Shahid Afridi had met PCB management committee chairman Zaka Ashraf.
A PCB press release did not disclose what was discussed between Ashraf and Afridi, but noted: “During the meeting, Ashraf acknowledged Afridi’s dedication and contribution towards the game and told him, ‘We admire you as a hero of Pakistan, and you have proved to be a great ambassador of the country with both your exceptional talent displayed on the field and your conduct off the field. We would love to have your experience for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.'”
