Shaheen Afridi misbehaved with coaches, says Gary Kirsten; Wahab Riaz & Razzaq favoured players who performed miserably

After the Pakistan cricket team's disastrous performance in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in the Americas, the team's star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been accused of misbehaving with coaches and management staff, Geo News reported, citing sources.

The allegation raises serious questions about the players' conduct during foreign tours to participate in international tournaments. According to the report, a probe is underway to determine why team managers didn't take action against the left-arm pacer despite his attitude towards the management staff and coaches.

Hindustan Times reported, quoting various Pakistani media reports, that Pakistan team coach Gary Kirsten accused Shaheen Afridi of misbehaving with the coaches and support staff during past tours.

Pakistan team's performance in T20 World Cup

The Pakistan cricket team has been facing unprecedented criticism for its disastrous performance in the T20 World Cup. The team was knocked out from the group stage after its unexpected defeat to the United States. The team, led by Babar Azam, also lost to India before its final exit from the tournament. Amid severe criticism of the team players, former cricketers Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq were sacked from PCB's selection committee. The Pakistan Cricket Board has also removed team manager Mansoor Rana from his post, reported Geo News.

Citing sources, the report said that Wahab and Razzaq's exit from their posts resulted from allegations that they extended undue favours to certain players.

According to the news report, Wahab and Razzaq favoured players who performed miserably in cricket matches. Notably, other selection committee members also opposed those players. The PCB is also probing players who have lobbies and the benefits they are gaining from them.

After being dismissed from the post, Wahab Riaz has reacted on social media and rejected media reports pointing towards his involvement in favouring certain team players. In a post on X, Riaz dismissed the reports suggesting that he had pressurised the selection committee. “I don’t agree with the statements being discussed about adding pressure to the members of the selection committee,” Wahab Riaz posted on X.