“Unfortunate Controversy”: PCB Chief On Pakistan Great’s Claims On Shaheen Afridi

After Shahid Afridi’s statement that pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is paying for his own rehabilitation in England and is staying in the country on his own money, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ramiz Raja came out to deny that the board had “disowned” the star player. He said that it is unthinkable that the PCB would not take care of Shaheen and called it an “unfortunate controversy”. Shaheen, who has been named in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad, left the team from UAE to go to England for treatment and recovery for a knee injury he had suffered during the Test series against Sri Lanka.

“Tell me, how can someone even think that someone will disown Shaheen Afridi, and that too his parent body. This can’t happen. It’s beyond my understanding. And this is an unfortunate controversy,” Ramiz Raja said in an interview.

When Rizwan fell ill during the World Cup, who took care of him? Our doctor’s panel stayed up all night to treat him, they got him fit and they ensured he played in the final (semi-final),” the PCB chief continued.

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“It could be that in this case, there was a lack of clarity. Because he had to leave quickly from Dubai, maybe there was some ticketing issue. Because he went where he had to go, but he didn’t like the place, so he went somewhere else,” Raja explained.

“But I would like to make one thing clear. Our players are our biggest stakeholders. Ask anybody. What we are doing, no cricket board doesn’t do. And not just for players who play for the national team. First Class players, junior players as well,” he said.