The rift between former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and the Pakistan Cricket Board just got wider after the sacked skipper on Monday refused to appear before the disciplinary committee of the PCB.
Afridi made it clear through his lawyers at a press conference that he will stay away from the hearing scheduled for June 8 at the PCB headquarters.
"The process followed by the PCB does not conform with the law as under our country’s constitution there is a right given to everyone to be heard before a case is decided," said Syed Ali Zafar, Afridi’s lawyer.
Mahmood Mandviwala, Afridi’s other lawyer, said that the PCB broke the law by taking action against Afridi before giving him due opportunity to defend himself.
“The board issued a show-cause notice to Afridi at the time when he was playing cricket in England and in the same letter also informed him that they have suspended his central contract and revoked his NOCs. They have already punished him, which is against the law,” he said.
The 31-year-old meanwhile said that he was seeking ‘justice’ reaffirming his right to play cricket. “I’m a cricketer and want to play cricket. The Board has stopped me but I want my right to play. I want justice,” said Afridi.
Afridi has been under fire ever since he was removed as Pakistan captain after an alleged rift between him and coaching staff in the West Indies. Afridi also told the media that other senior players were facing problems but were not speaking up because of their central contract and the code of conduct.
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