CARDIFF: Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib insists his side won’t let the row over Mohammad Shahzad’s controversial World Cup exit overshadow the rest of the tournament.

Shahzad played in Afghanistan’s first two World Cup matches, but the wicket-keeper/batsman was removed from the squad after suffering a knee injury that the country’s cricket board said would not allow him to play any further part in the tournament.

The 31-year-old, who scored just seven runs in losses to Australia and Sri Lanka, claimed medical advice he had received said he would have been fit to play in a few days after having his knee drained.

“If they don’t want me to play, I will quit cricket,” an emotional Shahzad was reported to have told local media after returning home.

Shahzad was not selected for the 2015 World Cup due to a lack of fitness.

Asked about the row ahead of Saturday’s clash with South Africa, Gulbadin made it clear he didn’t want to dwell on the situation.

“We looked forward, so we didn’t go to the past. We had one week off. We got plenty of good things in this last week,” Gulbadin said. “Obviously we missed Shahzad. We have good youngsters on the team now on the side, so we’re excited for the next game.”

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2019