Afridi levelled baseless allegations: Saeed Ajmal
Ajmal said the tensions would escalate if he goes into the details
FAISALABAD (Dunya News) – Former Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal on Sunday said that former all-rounder and teammate Shahid Afridi levelled baseless allegations against him in his book Game Changer.
Talking to media after visiting a medical camp installed by a private foundation, he said that Shahid Afridi’s book Game Changer contains baseless allegations, adding that he is accused of being involved in a coup against then-captain Younus Khan during the ICC Champions Trophy 2009.
He asked how a junior player could stage a coup against a senior player.
Ajmal said the tensions would escalate if he goes into the details, adding that he always respected his seniors.
Regarding Pakistan’s World Cup squad, he said that team management should make changes in the team as required before the deadline.
The spinner said that Pakistan must have a strong bowling attack, adding selection committee should have selected Muhammad Amir.
Earlier, Afridi is his book had revealed that senior players staged a coup against then-captain Younus Khan during the ICC Champions Trophy 2009. Former captain and flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi, in his book ‘GAME CHANGER’, said that a senior batsman was majorly responsible for the breakdown of stability and goodwill within the team.
He refrained from naming the player. His hints, however, were very clear. “I won’t name him, but one of the seniors in the team at the time, a great batsman in his own right, was majorly responsible for the breakdown of stability and goodwill within the team. It saddens me because he was one of the finest batsmen of those years,” Afridi wrote in the chapter ‘Strain of Command’. The former captain further wrote that during the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa, the batsman essentially attempted a coup.
“He called a team meeting of all the major players sans the captain Younus Khan and announced that he was not satisfied and motivated under Younus Khan’s captaincy. That was that-he had declared an all-out rebellion, bang in the middle of a major tournament,” Afridi wrote.
The all-rounder further adds that Shoaib Malik, Naved ul Hasan, and Saeed Ajmal had also supported the plan. Afridi also said that he requested then-manager Yawar Saeed to set up a meeting with Ejaz Butt and, when the meeting happened, all the players opened up about what their problems were with Younus.
