Pakistan’s early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024 has been attributed to internal conflicts within the team. A report submitted to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by white-ball coach Gary Kirsten and Azhar Mahmood has unveiled details about the misconduct of star pacer Shaheen Afridi during the tournament.
According to the coach’s report, Afridi’s consistent misbehavior and refusal to follow the coaches’ directives significantly disrupted team harmony.
Kirsten and Mahmood highlighted that Shaheen Afridi frequently clashed with the coaching staff and disregarded their strategies and decisions. This led to a lack of cohesion and discipline, severely impacting the team’s performance.
The report further revealed that there was lobbying and grouping among the players, exacerbating the internal discontentment among players.
Senior team manager Wahab Riaz and manager Mansoor Rana were criticized for their inability to curb Afridi’s disruptive behavior. Despite witnessing these issues firsthand, they failed to intervene and restore order within the squad.
The PCB now faces the critical question of whether to take disciplinary action against Shaheen Afridi. The board might weigh the potential repercussions of penalizing a key player against the need to uphold discipline and unity within the team.
It remains to be seen what will be PCB’s response to this report, which has cast a shadow over Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign and raised serious concerns about the team’s internal dynamics.