• Shahid Afridi just named interim chief selector of Pakistan’s men’s national team.
• He said that he wants to make two teams so that there are more players on the bench.
• The former captain talked about  “communication gap” between management and players.

Shahid Afridi, who was just named interim chief selector of Pakistan’s men’s national team, said that he wants to make two teams so that there are more players on the bench.

Afridi told reporters in Karachi that he wants to put this idea into action before the end of his term. At the time, he was captain and a flashy all-rounder.

During the press conference, Afridi also talked about a “communication gap” as one of the biggest problems the Pakistan cricket team is facing. He insisted that the chief selector should be in direct contact with each player to know their positions well.

Afridi said that he got a clear picture of Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail when he talked to them in person.

The two players were added to the possible three-game ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand.

“The major problem that I’ve observed here is the communication gap among management, doctors and the selection committee. It is important for a chief selector – be it me or someone else – to stay in direct contact with players,” he said.

“When I spoke to Haris and Fakhar, I got to know the better picture and I invited them to fitness Test,” he said.

Afridi, on the other hand, said that he is not a one-man show and that he believes in sharing power, which is important for success, according to the former captain.

The former captain said that it helps him to have experienced people like Haroon Rashid and people who play domestic cricket like Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftekhar Anjum.

The interim chief selector also talked to the people in charge of National Stadium and talked about possible wickets for the second Test, which starts on January 2.

Afridi said that the second test wicket would be better.

“It will be something where bowlers will get some support and batters will also enjoy their stay, there will be some bounce on wicket,” Afridi said.

“We can not become a top team by playing on these wickets. The wickets on which we’ve been playing are injurious to our bowlers, pacers will start having fitness issues and spinners will get their fingers injured.”

“Who says we can not produce better wickets in Pakistan. We certainly can if we are allowed to do so,” said the former captain.

In response to a question, Afridi said that as long as he is the chief selector, he will do his best to give everyone a fair chance. He also said that if the team had been made up of 25 players, he would have added Mohammad Huraira to the list of likely. He was nice to the young man and told him he has a bright future.

“One thing is that our academies are not working for the last 8 months, it is important that we keep them running for our domestic and under-19 performers. I will try to start a camp there for all such youngsters,” the chief selector added.

He said that Babar Azam is the team’s backbone and that the selection committee is there to help him get stronger on the field.

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