KARACHI, Nov 8: Pakistan’s new cricket management is claiming to have ended one of the bitter rivalries in the national team — between skipper Shoaib Malik and senior all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

Well-placed sources in the team said on Saturday that new Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam successfully mediated between Malik and Afridi recently and managed to convince the players to give up their differences. “Malik and Afridi met in Karachi the other day and agreed to give up their differences. They also agreed to work together for the greater interest of the team,” the sources said on Saturday.

Malik and Afridi have shared an uneasy relationship since last April when the former was chosen as the new Pakistan captain, succeeding Inzamam-ul-Haq soon after the team’s embarrassing first round exit from the 2007 World Cup.

Afridi, who is much senior to Malik, was fancying his own chances to become the captain and never concealed his ambitions about the coveted job. It is widely believed in the national cricket circles that Malik wanted to get the all-rounder dropped from the team. Afridi was dropped twice this year, apparently on Malik’s insistence, because of his poor form.

However, Intikhab’s entry as coach seems to have helped the situation and the friction between two of the most experienced players in the side is now removed. The sources said that in the meeting, Malik and Afridi vowed to put their differences aside and develop greater understanding in a bid to avoid any friction in the future.—Agencies