Dumped Afridi to reveal his ‘plan of action’ today

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KARACHI: Shahid Afridi returned home on Sunday night and then said that he will announce his ‘plan of action’ to resolve a bitter dispute with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday (today).

The former Pakistan captain received a tumultuous welcome here at the Jinnah Terminal but hundreds of his fans who had gathered at the airport weren’t able to see much of him as Afridi was whisked away to his home in Gulshan. He wasn’t even allowed to speak to dozens of media persons, who had assembled outside the arrivals area.

“I won’t be able to talk much about the issue as I have a detailed meeting with my lawyers tomorrow morning,” Afridi told ‘The News’. “I will decide my plan of action after consulting my lawyers and will announce it at a press conference tomorrow,” he added.

Afridi, 31, thanked his fans for their all out support. “My fans are the ones who give my strength,” he said.

The star allrounder refused to confirm whether he will appear before a disciplinary committee appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to hear his case. The Board has summoned Afridi for a hearing at its headquarters in Lahore on Wednesday.

“I’m keeping my options open,” he said. “It will only after discussing the issue with my lawyers that I’ll be able to decide about it.”

Afridi is in deep trouble as the PCB has suspended his central contract besides revoking all the No Objection Certificates granted to him, meaning that he cannot even play in foreign leagues. The Board has also begun disciplinary proceedings against the player and is likely to slap him with a lengthy ban and a hefty fine.

It was Afridi’s decision to talk about a rift in the team management last month that earned him the Board’s wrath. Reacting to his comments, the Board stripped him of captaincy for last month’s two-match One-day International series against Ireland.

Ten days later, Afridi took a swipe at the Board accusing it of ill-treatment and announced that he is retiring from international cricket.

Afridi has received immense support from all quarters. Even powerful politicians like PML (N) chief Nawaz Sharif have backed him. There were further indications the fact that his issue has become a political one when a number of Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Awami national Party activists turned up at the airport to receive Afridi. They were chanting slogans against the PCB.

Irked by it, the PCB issued a media statement on Sunday saying that it is concerned that “an internal disciplinary action” against Shahid Afridi is being converted into a political issue.

“A number of political functionaries are interfering in what is essentially an internal disciplinary matter of the PCB,” said the statement.

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, said that he will stick to his guns in spite of the use of political ‘influence’.

“It is disappointing that despite Afridi pleading guilty to the offences, some political functionaries are extending their support with a view to influencing the disciplinary process being followed by PCB,” said Butt. “An understanding needs to be developed among all stakeholders, media and the politicians that no one is above the law and that, for maintaining discipline within the team, it is absolutely imperative that we carry out this process without any fear or favour,” he stressed.

“PCB has been criticised for being ineffective in the past in the context of discipline. It would now appear an attempt by some forces to prevent the board from implementing the code of conduct may well damage Pakistan Cricket, if they continue to lend support to Afridi and exert undue pressure on PCB for their ‘non-cricketing’ interests,” he concluded.