Plans to allow allrounder Shahid Afridi to play in one final T20 series/match for Pakistan before announcing his retirement from all international cricket have been dropped by the PCB.A well-informed source in the cricket board told PTI that PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, who is in London recuperating from a heart ailment and chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq had both given approval for Afridi to be picked in the T20 squad for the coming series against the West Indies.

“Yes it is correct that a decision was taken and approved by Shaharyar and Inzamam that Afridi would travel to UAE as the 16th player and appear in a final match against the West Indies before announcing his retirement and going out gracefully,” the source said.

He said that Inzamam had spoken to Afridi and reached the understanding he would announce his retirement after playing against the West Indies.

But he confirmed that the plan was dropped after a senior member of the board, Najam Sethi, who heads the executive committee, objected to the method being followed to give Afridi a befitting farewell after a long career for Pakistan.

“Sethi made the point that the board would be setting a wrong example by including Afridi as 16th player just to give him a chance to play his farewell international match and it was also not befitting for such a senior player,” the source said.

He said Sethi raised the question that if the selectors felt that Afridi was good enough to play for the country in T20 internationals why didn’t they just select him in the 15-member squad announced for the West Indies series.

“Sethi’s argument is logical and he made it clear that he would speak to Afridi himself and settle the matter. Sethi will now meet Afridi in last week of September and offer him the chance to accept a proper farewell event and announce his retirement,” the source stated.

“Afridi might have played his final match for Pakistan if the plan given by Sethi is followed to the letter,” he added.

The allrounder, who appeared in 398 ODIs and 98 T20 internationals and also captained Pakistan in all three formats, stepped down as skipper after a poor show in the World T20 in India last April.

Inzamam says Afridi deserves farwell match

Pakistan’s chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq believes that flamboyant allrounder Shahid Afridi deserves to be given a farewell match after serving the country for almost two decades.

Inzamam told Pakistani reporters in Dubai on Monday night that Afridi had been a stellar performer and deserved a proper farewell and retirement.

“In my opinion Shahid deserves to be given a farewell match so that he can announce his retirement properly and retire in a befitting manner,” the former captain said.

Inzamam played a key role in convincing the Pakistan Cricket Board to allow the selectors to pick Afridi as the 16th player for the T20 series against the West Indies so that he could play in a match or two and than announce his retirement but the plan has now been dropped by the board.

Afridi for the time being has apparently taken up a new role of an expert for the state owned television sports channel for the limited over series against the West Indies which begins from Friday.

The chief selector also felt that there were lot of things to be put right in Pakistan cricket and this could not happen in three months time.

“There is a lot to be done in Pakistan cricket and things can’t change in a few months time. It will take time and patience to put our cricket on the right path but it will happen,” he said.

Inzamam, who played in 120 Tests, said that he was optimistic about the future as the quality of talent being uncovered in domestic cricket was encouraging.

He admitted that lot of hard work was required to improve Pakistan’s standing in one-day and T20 internationals where the national team is languishing at number nine and eight positions.

“This selection committee has just worked for three months and we have identified lot of improvements that need to be made to our cricket system and structure. But all this will take time and commitment for us to move forward and there will be highs and lows in this path,” he added.

Inzamam is in Dubai to discuss with head coach Mickey Arthur the formation of the Pakistan one-day and Test squads for the series against the West Indies in which three ODIs and three Tests including a day and night match will be played in September and October.

Inzaman said the series against the West Indies would be a tough one for Pakistan since they had some good players and were also the World T20 Champions.

“There is no question of taking the West Indies team lightly as they have always posed a challenge for us and I foresee a close series although we have a clear edge in the Test match format and we are the number one team,” he added.

Inzamam said Pakistan would need to win the Test series to retain their number one ranking as India were playing around 13 Tests in their home international season starting with the series against New Zealand.
oooooooooooooooooooo
Clinton says Trump gives ‘aid, comfort’ to ISIS recruiters

Hillary Clinton is accusing Donald Trump of giving “aid and comfort” to Islamic terrorists, declaring his anti-Muslim rhetoric helps the Islamic State group and other militants recruit new fighters. Mr. Trump is insisting the U.S. should “use whatever lawful methods are available” to get information from the Afghan immigrant arrested in this weekend’s bombings.

As Mr. Trump supporters at a packed rally in Florida shouted “Hang him!” the Republican presidential candidate mocked the fact that Ahmad Khan Rahami, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen originally from Afghanistan, would receive quality medical care and legal representation.

“We must deliver a just and very harsh punishment to these people,” he said. “These are enemies, these are combatants and we have to be tough, we have to be strong.”

Both candidates moved swiftly to capitalize on investigations into a weekend of violent attacks bombings in New York and New Jersey and stabbings at a Minnesota mall casting themselves as most qualified to combat terrorism at home and abroad.

Ms. Clinton touted her national security credentials at a hastily arranged news conference outside her campaign plane, accusing Trump of using the incidents to make “some kind of demagogic point.”

Ms. Clinton and her team see her experience and what they say is her steady judgment as key selling points for her candidacy. On the campaign trail, she frequently invokes her role in the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, describing to voters the tense atmosphere in the White House alongside President Barack Obama at that moment.

But while much of the foreign policy establishment has rallied around Ms. Clinton, Mr. Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, promises to close U.S. borders and vows to aggressively profile potential terrorists have fueled his presidential bid.

On Monday, he called for tougher policing, including profiling foreigners who look like they could have connections to terrorism or certain Middle Eastern nations.

“This isn’t just a matter of terrorism, this is also really a question of quality of life,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re only admitting people into our country who love our country.”

Pointing to her Monday morning comment that Mr. Trump’s words give “aid and comfort” to Islamic extremists, his campaign said Ms. Clinton was accusing him of treason, going beyond the bounds of acceptable campaigning and trying to change the subject from her own failures.

She insinuated that Islamic militants, particularly those affiliated with ISIS, are rooting for Mr. Trump to win the White House. She said, “We’re going after the bad guys and we’re going to get them, but we’re not going to go after an entire religion.”

Mr. Trump agreed terrorists have a preference- They “want her so badly to be our president.”

Ms. Clinton met late Monday with the leaders of Egypt, Ukraine and Japan in New York City, where they gathered for the United Nations General Assembly. Mr. Trump met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Mr. Trump has tried to appear more statesmanlike as the November election approaches. Still, he suggested it’s fine if some world leaders feel uneasy about him.

“Well, maybe that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. Right now the world has no respect for our country, they have no respect for our president, whatsoever,” he said in an interview on Fox News.