Afridi won't captain Pakistan again, says Butt

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket chief Ijaz Butt has said former one-day captain Shahid Afridi will never lead the national side again, blaming him for losing matches against the West Indies in May.

"In my opinion, perhaps considered wrong by some people, he made us lose the fourth and fifth one-dayers," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Butt said in an interview to television channel Geo Super broadcast late Thursday.

"As far as I am concerned he is not captaincy material for the PCB anymore," said Butt of Afridi, who was dumped as captain after Pakistan won the overall series against the West Indies 3-2.

Afridi subsequently breached his contract by announcing his retirement from international cricket and criticising the PCB for mistreating senior players.

The PCB suspended Afridi's contract, revoked his permission to play abroad and directed him to appear before a disciplinary committee.

Afridi took the PCB to court but finally agreed on an out-of-court settlement that saw him fined 4.5 million rupees (52,000 dollars) but granted permission to play for Hampshire in the Twenty20 league in England.

Asked if Afridi would be allowed back on the team, Butt said: "He has not given us his retirement. If he wants to resign, he has to resign with the PCB.

"He is no more on our contract... after the West Indies tour he was no more the captain as our policy was to appoint a captain after every series and he knew that," said Butt.

Butt accused Afridi of politicising the row, saying he had to fend off calls from former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the governor of the Afridi's home province of Sindh, Ishrat-ul-Ibaad.

"I told them point blank that I will not budge and Afridi will have to appear before the disciplinary committee," said Butt.

Butt said leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who was arrested then released without charge in connection with a spot-fixing scandal in England, had not been cleared to play because he is not speaking the truth.

"He is involved in certain things, which unless he clarifies himself, and he has not done so far, he will not be considered (for selection)," said Butt.

Kaneria has filed a petition against not being cleared for play in a bid to revive his international career, stalled since last year.

Kaneria and his Essex team-mate Marvyn Westfield were arrested in a spot-fixing case last year, but the police released the Pakistani spinner without any charges. Westfield faces criminal charges.

Butt said another under-suspicion all-rounder Shoaib Malik was also not cleared.

"We have a former Supreme Court judge in the integrity committee and he said that Malik is not speaking truth, if he speaks the truth and cleared he can walk in the team as we need him in one-day matches," said Butt.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011