New domestic cricket structure a better option if PM Imran believes so: Shahid Afridi

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ISLAMABAD : Former Pakistan cricket team captain Shahid Afridi on Thursday said if Prime Minister Imran Khan deems the new domestic cricket structure a good option for the development of the game in the country than it would be a better one to adopt.

The former Pakistan skipper said that every process takes time and it generally takes two to three years for any newly-introduced system to come to fruition.

The veteran cricketer said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not contacted him. “No post has been offered to me yet.”

“Our success is in playing aggressive cricket,” he said, adding that the performance of the team would not improve until and unless we get rid of the habit of playing defensively.

Yesterday, the premier had said that the new domestic cricket structure being introduced in the country would provide an excellent platform for emerging talent to learn and refine skills.

Addressing a Signing of Agreements Ceremony between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the national broadcaster Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), in Islamabad, the prime minister had said: “I have been a witness to the fact that we have always had immense talent and despite a faulty system, our talent managed to stand out internationally.”

“Pakistan can become unbeatable if we manage to mend and improve our mismanaged system,” he added.

The premier said that every newly-introduced system faces problems during the teething stages but the domestic structure is important as it will open doors of opportunity for the young and talented.

Referring to Australia as one of the best performing teams due to effective administration and meritocracy, the prime minister had said that competition leads to a better system and a finer team performance.

“There are two important things [needed in order to stand out in the game]: the first is to introduce healthy competition and secondly, to bring people on merit,” he had added.