Shahid Afridi capable of taking 'bold decisions': Najam Sethi

Najam Sethi, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) management committee, has extended his support towards Shahid Afridi who was recently appointed as the national team's interim chief selector.

Sethi said that the former Pakistan skipper can take "bold decisions".

Afridi was appointed as the selection committee's interim chair for Pakistan's one-day international home series against New Zealand, while other members include Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum.

Meanwhile, Haroon Rashid — also a member of the management committee — will be the selection committee's convener.

The former PCB chairman spoke highly about the former Pakistan skipper praising him as a "bold and beautiful" player.

"He's very popular, he's the sort of person we want in the selection committee who can take bold decisions," Sethi told Arab News.

"[Someone] to experiment with new talent, to realise where old is still gold and I think that was missing in this team which is why we had four defeats in a row in Test matches."

Sethi also said that the national team will play the game in its true spirit.

"Afridi was on board, he wanted to make some changes and he wanted the team to play bold and exciting cricket. We are not going to play to win or to lose, but we are now going to play the game in the true spirit," he said.

On Sunday, Afridi-led selection committee met head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and skipper Babar Azam to finalise ODI squad against New Zealand.

"Aggressive cricket, good pitches, and positive strategy were discussed. Together we will work for the improvement of Pakistan cricket. Good pitches are essential to make Pakistan a top team," Afridi said in a video shared by the PCB.

"We want to remove fear from the hearts of players. In order to play good cricket in other countries, we have to prepare here," he added.

It must be noted that Pakistan cricket chief Ramiz Raja was sacked just days after the national team suffered a humiliating first-ever 3-0 home series whitewash at the hands of England, according to a government notice.

But a change had been on the cards since April when Imran Khan — a former national captain — was ousted as prime minister and replaced by Shehbaz Sharif.

Raja, a member of Khan's 1992 World Cup-winning side, was appointed chairman of the PCB in September 2021.