Afridi telephones head coach Arthur

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has vowed to make his way back into the national side.

According to reports, the all-rounder telephoned head coach Mickey Arthur.

Afridi said the country is not producing fine cricketers as it did in the past, shifting the focus from quality to quantity. He further said the management should aim for quality cricketers.

“Instead of going after quantity, we should concentrate on quality to meet international standards,” he said.

He was not included in an ongoing boot camp ahead of Pakistan’s tour of England that begins in July, with many pundits suggesting it was time for the flamboyant all-rounder to call time on his two-decade long career.

Afridi issued a video apology to the cricket-mad nation after Pakistan’s exit at the group stages of the WorldT20, and his leadership style was slammed in separate leaked reports by then coach Waqar Younis and team manager Intikhab Alam — both since sacked.