Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi was disappointed that he will miss two matches of the World Cup due to the ban slapped on him by ICC for what he thought was a minor offence.
"I think that ICC has banned me four matches on a minor offence which is very disappointing especially since the World Cup is so near," Afridi was quoted by The News after his arrival from South Africa.
The incident happened when Afridi was walking up the stairs towards the dressing room and a spectator said something to him. This angered the player and showed the bat at the person in an aggressive manner.
"The spectator made bad remarks about Pakistan and in the heat of the moment I flashed my bat but I did not intend to harm the person," said Afridi.
Later, Match Referee Chris Broad found him guilty of breaching the ICC's Code of Conduct and handed him a four-match ban.
Afridi said he and the team management refrained from appealing against the ban in order to make sure that he missed only two matches of the World Cup.
{{/usCountry}}Afridi said he and the team management refrained from appealing against the ban in order to make sure that he missed only two matches of the World Cup.
{{/usCountry}}"We thought if the appeal is rejected then I will not be able to play in four World Cup matches, which is why it was decided to accept the penalty," he said.