Afridi miffed with Karachi management

Disenchanted with the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) after being overlooked for the captaincy in the domestic RBS Twenty20 Cup that is underway in Karachi, Shahid Afridi has threatened to quit his domestic side. Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowler, was preferred to Afridi and the allrounder was miffed at not being given a reason for the preference in leadership of the Karachi Dolphins.

"I think the KCCA senior officials need to rethink their attitude towards senior players and how they treat them," Afridi told reporters at the National Stadium. "I think the KCCA officials should have had the courtesy to at least tell me why they didn't want me as captain. I am always prepared to play even as a ordinary player but there is a way you treat senior players and the KCCA is not doing that.

"I have always taken a lot of pride in representing Karachi in domestic cricket but if the KCCA continue to treat senior players badly then I might be forced to play for some other region in coming events."

The KCCA secretary Siraj-ul-Islam Bukhari, who has held the post for more than three decades now, was quick to explain that Afridi had misunderstood the situation. "The fact is that last season when we wanted him to lead the side he was not available and this year we also had to take into consideration the fact that Mohammad Sami had led Karachi to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title and deserved to continue as captain," he said.

According to Afridi, however, he had been told last year by national coach Intikhab Alam that he could play in only two matches during the competition. "Since I was not available for the entire tournament I decided it would be better if the KCCA appointed someone else as captain who could lead in the entire event," he said. "I have no big issue with the captaincy I am playing under Sami but it is also a fact that a senior player like myself deserves better treatment from home association."

The Dolphins, whose squad includes the internationals Fawad Alam, Khalid Latif, and Safraz Ahmed, are currently at the top of Group D in the RBS Twenty20 Cup standings. They have won their only match so far.

Afridi has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately because of the infamous ball-tampering incident in Australia.