Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi. Image-Twitter

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi believes that playing for the national team has become too easy in present times.

Speaking at a public event, Afridi lambasted the selectors for their policy behind selecting players in Test and white-ball cricket.

The former Pakistan skipper reckoned that players should only be selected for the national team after they had played at least two seasons of domestic cricket.

“It has become so easy to play for the national team whereas in the past playing for the Pakistan team was the ultimate for any professional cricketer,” Shahid Afridi said as quoted by PTI. “That is why our performances are not consistent with the amount of cricket we play in Pakistan,” he said.

Afridi reckoned that the pathway to the Pakistan national team has become so easy that any player who has one good season in domestic cricket or PSL gets an international call-up before being dropped after 1-2 poor performances.

”Why have we made it so really easy for players to represent their country. I am sad to see that a player gives one or two good performances in domestic cricket or the PSL and he is in the national team.” said Afridi.

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“What is this? You should make your cricketers play domestic cricket,” Afridi said.

 

‘We must now judge the difference between just talent and mental strength of a player’- Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi. Image Credits: Twitter

According to Shahid Afridi, international cricket tests a player’s temperament to the hilt, and the selectors should judge and pick players based on their ability to withstand pressure situations rather than raw talent, and this can only happen if a player plays 2-3 years of domestic cricket.

‘’The real difference playing international cricket is how strong a player is mentally to handle all the pressures that come in international matches and that includes the criticism and glare of the media and fans. We must now judge the difference between just talent and mental strength of a player,” Afridi added.

Shahid Afridi also called for the selectors to not drop players on the basis of few failures.

”You give a chance to a player and he doesn’t perform, he should be sent back into domestic cricket. Don’t make playing for Pakistan so easy. Players must know the value of international cricket. I am totally against players coming into the side on just one or two performances,” he added.

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