LAHORE: A long discussion was held between selectors and team management before including all-rounder Shahid Afridi in one-day and T20 squads for the series against South Africa, sources told Dawn.

Afridi, who had been confined to just T20 cricket, got the selectors’ nod for the ODI squad too.

But, the sources said, the team management in South Africa was not ready to take Afridi in the ODI squad and had been asking the selectors to confine Afridi to just Twenty20s.

PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf also put his weight behind the selectors and finally the team management gave its consent.

Chief selector Iqbal Qasim said Afridi was included because the selectors believed that as a leg-spinner he might be useful against South Africa.

Iqbal, however, left it to the team management to include him in the playing eleven.