Akhtar backs Afridi, says he was treated harshly by senior players

Shoaib Akhtar has come in support of his ex-teammate ShahidAfridi, stating that he was witness to the harsh treatment meted out to the former Pakistan all-rounder by some senior players during his playing days.

In his autobiography titled ‘Game Changer’, Afridi hasclaimed that he was at the receiving end of harsh treatment by seniors duringhis playing days and cited the example of former coach JavedMiandad, whoaccording to him did not let him bat at the nets before a Test against India inChennai in 1999.

   

“I think ShahidAfridi has written less in his bookabout the harsh treatment he received from senior players during his playingdays. I witnessed some of it with my own eyes and totally agree with him,”Akhtar was quoted as saying in a TV programme ‘Game OnHai’.

Akhtar also claimed that 10 senior players had laterapologised to them.

“Later down the years, 10 of these senior players askedus for forgiveness, before leaving for Umrah, for the way they treatedus,” he said.

Citing his personal problems during his playing days, Akhtareven went on to claim that some senior players tried to engage in physicalaltercation with him.

“Once during a tour of Australia, four playersapproached with the intention of hitting me with a bat,” said the43-year-old former speedster. Soon after Afridi came out with the revelationsin his book, out-of-favour Imran Farhat accused the former all-rounder of beinga “selfish player” who ruined many careers.

Recalling an incident, Akhtar said Afridi was once told toreturn home from a camp in Abbotabad after exchanging words with the then teammanager Talat Ali.

The incident narrated by Akhtar took place in 2007-08,involving Talat, who has also been named as the manager of Pakistan’s World Cupsquad in the United Kingdom. “It so happened that we were returning on busfrom training and I was sitting with Salman Butt upfront. Afridi came insideand asked Butt to vacate the seat to which Talat lost his cool and questionedwhy Butt should leave his seat,” Akhtar recalled.

“Afridi also exchanged some words with Talat. Laterthat night Shoaib Malik told me they had decided to send Afridi back homebecause of the incident. I then took up the issue with Talatsahab and theCricket Board (PCB),” he added.

Akhtar said during his playing days it was not unusual forsome seniors to run down junior players.

Meanwhile, former Test spinner Nadeem Khan has alsoconfirmed that the incident narrated in Afridi’s book about Miandad not givinghim chance to bat at the nets before the first Test against India at Chennai in1999 was true. “What he has written is correct but there is a backgroundto it. I was Afridi’s roommate throughout the tour in India and I just feltthat maybe JavedMiandad had played a psychological ploy with him to get himriled up for the Test match,” Nadeem told PTI.

Afridi went onto score a hundred in the match.The elder brother of Moin Khan also said that ashead coach Miandad was unhappy with Afridi as the latter refused to listen tohim and didn’t follow his batting instructions. “But I can also say thiswith honesty that Javedbhai as coach was very dedicated and not only Afridi, heworked hard with all other batsmen to help them get runs. He used to work a lotwith Afridi in the nets. The incident in Chennai was a one-off thing. Todescribe Javedbhai as a small man in the book I think is wrong choice ofword,” Nadeem said.

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