"Where is the talent?" Afridi asks

Published July 21, 2014
"I wonder what happens after the World Cup 2015 when the senior lot is gone." -Photo by AFP
"I wonder what happens after the World Cup 2015 when the senior lot is gone." -Photo by AFP

Straight-shooting Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi says experts and former cricketers should stop obsessing over who the next captain will be and start worrying about the serious lack of talent in the country.

"Where is the talent? I am worried because, leave alone the captaincy debate, the talent coming through is not convincing enough," PTI quoted Afridi as saying.

Responding to comments suggesting that current skipper Misbah-ul-Haq should take a promising youngster under his wing before he retires, Afridi said: "The idea is good but where is the talent to do this? I don't see anyone."

"In fact, I wonder what happens after the World Cup 2015 when the senior lot is gone," the former captain added.

Afridi, whose name has repeatedly been floated as the best candidate to lead Pakistan at next year's World Cup, preferred to side step the suggestion and instead focus on what he said was the real issue.

"Honestly speaking, we have to see what happens after the World Cup when the seniors will go."

"The dependence is still on senior players but we need to look ahead," said Afridi.

The 34-year-old said he was particularly worried about the lack of talent coming from Karachi.

"It saddens me but look at Karachi. How many players have made it from there to the top level in the last few years. There was a time when Karachi was the nursery of Pakistan cricket."

Commenting on Pakistan's new team management, which includes Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Moin Khan and Grant Flower among others, Afridi said the big names could combine to do a lot of good for the team.

"Look if these people work together, we will produce good results. If they don't work well as a unit the results will not be encouraging. It is important these people are on the same wavelength.

"They have loads of experience between them and can do a lot for Pakistan cricket," he concluded.

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