“All these allegation are baseless and there is no truth in the match-fixing reports. Nobody is involved in match-fixing. However, I have warned all the team players to be more cautious so as to avoid scandals in future. The team is being closely observed so it would be good to Pakistan cricket that our players avoid any activity which might be wrongly perceived and subsequently scandalised,” Afridi told reporters after he returned from England on Friday morning.
He said he would have been very happy if they had won the ODI series and it would have been a great achievement for the beleaguered team.
Afridi praised the players for playing well under pressure in the recently concluded England ODI series. “I am happy that the team played well in the ODI series especially after the allegations. It is difficult to play with all the controversies but I am glad the players played well under pressure,” he said.
He added that it was a difficult tour, however, the unity in the team helped them cope up with all the controversies.
“It was a difficult tour, however, the team was united and that was something very important,” Afridi said.
He further said that he may consider return to Test cricket if the team needs him in the Test series against South Africa next month.
Pakistan are scheduled to play a Twenty20 International, five ODIs and two Tests against South Africa during their tour of the UAE which starts on October 27 and ends on November 24.
He said that they would finalise a preliminary squad of around 22 players during the he tour of UAE, which would be retained till the 2011 ICC World Cup.
“I would try to bring in new players. The players would feel secure after knowing that they would be retained till World Cup and they would prepare themselves accordingly to put a brilliant show in the spectacle,” Afridi said.
Afridi further said that he had asked the players to improve their fielding along with other departments. “To perform and give good results, players also have to field well.”
The skipper refrained from commenting on the ball tampering charges against pacer Shoaib Akhtar.
