Keep mouth shut and focus on cricket: Waqar to Afridi

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Former Pakistan Test coach Waqar Younis has advised flamboyant allrounder Shahid Afridi to keep his mouth shut and focus on performing well as a cricketer.

In an unusually hard-hitting interview to Geo News in Dubai, Waqar said Afridi needs to rethink his priorities as a senior player.

"All the time he is criticizing somebody and using distasteful language. It is time he just kept his mouth shut and focused on his cricket," Waqar said.

"To me it seems as if he always on the lookout for cheap publicity by making unwarranted and unhealthy comments about somebody or someone," he added.

The dispute between Waqar who was than coach of the national team and Afridi who was captain of the one-day team became public after the Pakistan team's tour to the West Indies in May with the latter accusing the former of interfering in his domain as captain.

The dispute became more serious after Afridi announced his retirement in protest after being removed as captain by the Pakistan cricket Board for breaching the code of conduct by speaking on team affairs in public.

In the last few months, Afridi kept on criticizing the former PCB chief Ijaz Butt and Waqar.

Afridi only recently announced his availability for the national team and has been picked in the national squad for the one-day series against Sri Lanka this month.

Waqar who had stepped down as coach after the Zimbabwe tour in September is presently doing commentary in Dubai for the Pakistan and Sri Lanka series.

Waqar said Afridi has problems with everyone.

"For months now he has been criticizing Ijaz Butt and saying all sorts of things like Butt is old and he should go home, this is not the way to talk about a former player and head of the board. He has problems with everyone and wants the world to believe he is the victim," Waqar said.

Afridi, however, refrained from reacting to Waqar's harsh words and told Geo News that attempts were being made to make him controversial and drag him into controversies ever since he announced his comeback to the national team.

"I don't want to make any comments on Waqar has said. I just want to play cricket for my country," he said.