Former captain Shahid Afridi‘s appointment as Pakistan’s interim chief selector has divided the country’s cricket community. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi announced on Saturday evening that Afridi, along with Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar, will form an Interim Selection Committee for the New Zealand tour.
Sethi, taking to his official Twitter account, wrote, “I am pleased to announce, with immediate effect, an Interim Selection Committee for the New Zealand tour. It comprises Shahid Afridi (Chief Selector), Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar, with Haroon Rashid as Convenor.”
The decision elicited mixed reactions from Pakistan’s cricketing community. Former spinner Danish Kaneria lashed out at Afridi, posting a photo of the latter tampering with the ball with his teeth. “Chief selector (Laughing emojis),” he wrote in the caption.
Here is Danish Kaneria’s tweet
Chief selector ??? pic.twitter.com/cdKokzJCyR
— Danish Kaneria (@DanishKaneria61) December 25, 2022
Kaneria’s photo is a still from a game between Pakistan and Australia played in Perth a decade ago, in 2010. On a couple of occasions, TV cameras caught the captain biting the ball. The TV umpire reported this to the on-field umpires, who changed the ball after speaking with Afridi.
Afridi had to face the consequences, as he was barred from playing in two T20Is. He admitted to tampering with the ball and stated that it was a common practice among all teams. “I shouldn’t have done it. It just happened. I was trying to help my bowlers and win a match, one match. There is no team in the world that doesn’t tamper with the ball. My methods were wrong. I am embarrassed, I shouldn’t have done it. I just wanted to win us a game but this was the wrong way to do it,” he had told the Pakistani media.
In the meantime, Afridi added pacers Mir Hamza and Shahnawaz Dahani, as well as off-spinner Sajid Khan, to the squad for the New Zealand series just hours after being named interim chief selector. According to the PCB, the decision was made after a conversation with Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
Here is how Twitter reacted
Do takke pe apna ap bechne wala aj baatain kr rha h bai wah .
Zameen mili to banjar . Kirkat luxpert mila to kanjar pic.twitter.com/gObLfeoYbT— Waqar Jamil (@SirWaqarJamil1) December 25, 2022
Another sellout!
— rëtro ? (@zaidqurieshi) December 26, 2022
It's another low from your side. Thank you for exposing yourself
— Kashif Zaheer Kamboh (@KKamboh) December 25, 2022
Not a match fixer though. ?
"Jinke ghar sheeshe ke ho, vo dusro par Patthar nahi phenka karte"
— Asim M. Zubair (@asim_mz) December 25, 2022
How shameful… I think you have forgotten your past?
— Ali Haider (@alihaideraf) December 25, 2022
That explains financial crisis in Pakistan chief selector is eating ball
— Indian Troll lover (@trollove1) December 25, 2022
Chief or Cheap Selector
— Gaurav Pandit?? (@igauravpandit) December 25, 2022
@SAfridiOfficial lala ye kia kr rhy ho? ?
— Azm Rehman (@AzmRehmanAajTV) December 26, 2022
Still better than a fixer
— Firdous Mir (@fmir_official) December 25, 2022
Jalne ki badbu yaha tak arahi hai ????
— kralkoor (@kralkoor) December 25, 2022
