'Shoaib nothing but a problem'

Shoaib Akhtar may claim to be a perfect team-man but the former PCB chief Shaharyar Khan says the pacer has been nothing but a "problem" for captains & coaches.

Shoaib Akhtar may claim to be a perfect team-man but former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan says the maverick pacer has been nothing but a "problem" for captains and coaches who have worked with him in the past couple of years.

HT Image

Khan feels the pacer, who is fighting a five-year ban imposed on him for disciplinary violations by the PCB, has only himself to blame for the problems that he is facing right now.

"In the last two years he was a problem for the coach, captain and the board and we could see he was more interested in playing for himself rather than the team and this attitude was having a bad effect on others," Khan said.

Khan felt it was better not to have Akhtar in the team as it has always done well without him.

"When he didn't play the team did well and won. I think the fame and pampering he got early on in his career got to his head and he couldn't handle it maturely," he stated.

The former PCB chief said the only way left to deal with Akhtar was involve his family in counseling him.

"The best way to handle him is to sit down and talk to him or ask his family members to talk sense into him and he would come around," he told 'Geo TV'.

Apart from the Akhtar, Khan said the PCB should also give some attention to the plight of cricketers banned by it for participating in the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Khan felt the PCB should lift the ban on these players and allow them to earn their living.