Shahid Afridi can't bat or bowl in tough conditions: Aamer Sohail on PCB's 1999 WC team

Former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail made some startling claims about how the team management operated against his wish in selecting the team for the 1999 World Cup in England. The left-handed batsman recently took to his YouTube channel and talked about Pakistan’s runners-up campaign at the 1999 event. In the video, he criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for selecting Shahid Afridi, who was 19 years old at the time.

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Aamer Sohail slams PCB and Shahid Afridi for 1999 selection

Aamer Sohail revealed that when he was Pakistan’s captain in 1998, he wanted the selectors to go into the 1999 World Cup with regular openers in the line-up. He was of the opinion that Pakistan needed batsmen who could stay at the crease and play out the new ball. While the team management opted for Shahid Afridi as their opener, Sohail said that the all-rounder at the time was ‘neither able to bowl nor able to bat’ and was someone who could just score quick runs on ‘flat low-bouncing tracks’. He added that if he was Pakistan’s captain instead of Wasim Akram in the 1999 World Cup, he would have opted for Mohammad Yousuf as their opening batsman.

Shahid Afridi in 1999 World Cup

Shahid Afridi played seven out of the 10 matches Pakistan played in the 1999 World Cup. The all-rounder failed to make much of an impact with the bat as he scored a mere 93 runs at an average of 13.28. In the all-important final against Australia at Lord’s, London, Shahid Afridi scored 13 runs off 16 balls.

Aamer Sohail on Wasim Akram’s captaincy and Shahid Afridi’s performance in 1999, watch video

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Aamer Sohail talks about 1999 World Cup campaign

Aamer Sohail added that even though Pakistan reached the final of the tournament, they played like a ‘local team’ throughout the event. He stated that the Wasim Akram-led side did not play with a settled line-up and rotated their batting order in every match. Sohail also stated that he and his then-teammate Salim Malik wanted their captain Wasim Akram to bowl first after winning the toss in the final.

He recalled that according to Salim Malik, there were rains in London the day before and batting first would have exposed their batsmen on a difficult pitch. However, Wasim Akram won the toss and batted first which resulted in the ‘Men in Green’ folding for 132 against Shane Warne and co. Australia overhauled Pakistan’s target with 29.5 overs to spare to be crowned World Champions for the second time in history.

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Image credit: AP