Former fast bowler, Shabbir Ahmed, has claimed that he was ousted from the national team because he refused to shave his beard. Shabbir said that the reports of him being dropped from the team due to suspicious bowling action are untrue.
He said that in 2007 a former PCB official told him to shave off his beard or he would not play for Pakistan again. Shabbir replied that he can give up cricket but not give up on his religion. He revealed that his bowling action had already been cleared but he was not picked by Pakistan again.
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He added that he had a substantial offer by former Australian coach Daryl Foster to come and play for Australia, but he turned down the opportunity.
A high official from PCB said to me if you want to play cricket then you should remove beard – @ShabbirTestCric #Cricket #Pakistan #ShabbirAhmed #PCB #Khanewal #Legend pic.twitter.com/yM3UzrgxZQ
— Khel Shel (@khelshel) December 16, 2020
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The 6’5” lanky fast bowler made his ODI debut in 1999, but wasn’t a regular feature in the side and was banned due to suspect bowling action. He established himself in the Test side in 2003 and became the joint-fastest Pakistani bowler to take 50 wickets.
Shabbir had a decent record in Test cricket, picking up 51 wickets at an average of 23.03 in 10 Test matches. His career was halted due to an illegal bowling action in 2005 and soon after was dropped from the national side.
