Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday met the national cricket team \u2014 which is currently participating in a fitness camp in Kakul \u2014 amid a controversy over comments attributed to Shaheen Shah Afridi in an official statement. An eventful week after the PCB had \u201creorganised\u201d the national selection committee culminated a day ago with the return of Babar Azam as the side\u2019s white-ball skipper, replacing Shaheen. As per a PCB statement issued on the matter, Shaheen said he looked forward to playing under Babar again. \u201cIt was an absolute honour to captain Pakistan\u2019s national cricket team,\u201d he was quoted as saying in the PCB statement. \u201cAs a team player, it is my duty to back our captain, Babar Azam. I have played under his captaincy and have nothing but respect for him,\u201d he had said. However, a source close to Shaheen denied he had signed off on the statement that implied a harmonious transfer of the top job. The source added Afridi resented being replaced after being in charge for just one Twenty20 series. \u201cThis is not Shaheen\u2019s statement and he has contacted PCB to clarify this,\u201d the source told AFP. \u201cShaheen will meet PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday to clarify this,\u201d the source had said. Meanwhile, ESPN cricinfo reported that Shaheen was \u201cfurious\u201d with the statement attributed to him and was \u201con the brink of making a statement to this effect, but the PCB has held emergency talks with him\u201d. The report added that Shaheen \u201cis understood to have contributed nothing to that [PCB] statement at all\u201d. Amid the uncertain situation, PCB chief Naqvi visited the national team at Kakul to inspect their training and expressed his gratitude to the Pakistan Army for arranging the fitness camp. \u201cI am highly inspired by the incredible dedication and high spirits of the national team players,\u201d Naqvi said in a post on X. A PCB statement said he interacted with the players, personally commending them for their dedication and active participation in the camp. He also expressed his satisfaction with the players\u2019 enthusiasm and commitment towards enhancing their fitness levels. \u201cIn addition to meeting with the players, chairman PCB also held a meeting with the selection committee to talk about the team\u2019s selection ahead of the New Zealand T20I series. The meeting was also attended by captain Babar Azam. Chairman PCB also took the members into confidence on the developments made by the board regarding the appointment of head coach,\u201d the PCB said. The PCB selectors were mulling over who would be the next Pakistan captain despite Shaheen showing no intent to give up the armband after one series in charge, a 4-1 Twenty20 drubbing in New Zealand in January this year. As per the PCB, it wasn\u2019t Shaheen\u2019s failure against the Black Caps but his history of injuries that may lead to the pacer\u2019s potential unavailability in the future, a reason which made the selection committee replace him with Babar as skipper. But as 29 Pakistan probables, including Babar and Shaheen, have been toiling in a fitness camp at the country\u2019s premier military academy in Kakul since Tuesday, the selectors, it had emerged, had kept Shaheen in the dark over the developments regarding the captaincy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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