LAHORE: Some members of the previous national team management have advised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to keep Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad away from the national team for betterment of Pakistan cricket in future, which is at its lowest ebb mainly because of lackluster approach of these three players.

Dawn has learnt through reliable sources that the presence of these players will not help the PCB raise a strong team.

The PCB, the sources said, has taken the proposal seriously and it will also exchange these views with the new chief selector.

Though Afridi has decided to step down from captaincy, he has not called it a day and wanted to play as a player.

The sources further said Afridi’s sponsors have advised him not to resign from T20 cricket as they have invested heavily on him, though his popularity has declined after Pakistan’s disappointing defeats at Asia Cup and World T20.

Apart from the previous team management advice, the PCB is also considering the reports presented by manager Intikhab Alam and Waqar Younis, who have also criticised the trio.

Both Umar and Shehzad had been dropped from the national side a number of times on different grounds but Afridi had always supported them to return to the squad. In the present scenario, keeping the trio away, especially Afridi, will be a testing case for the PCB.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2016