Shahid Afridi Bats for Pakistan Cricketers in IPL; Changes Earlier Stance

Shahid Afridi has been the talk about town for all the wrong reasons. Even as his bid to come clean has failed to sufficiently please an enraged mass, the Pakistan ODI and Twenty20 captain now feels that the Pakistan cricketers deserve to be playing in the IPL again.

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The Pakistan captain's comparison of Indian and Pakistani hearts spoiled the harmony following the gigantic India v Pakistan ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semi final clash. In many ways, Afridi's comments, albeit in reaction to an individual Indian television reports, threw a dampener on the bonhomie that developed between the two sparring nations.

However, after making vain attempts to clarify his stance, Afridi, who once also said that the Pakistan cricketers were better off without the IPL, is now changing his stance on the issue as well, stating that after three IPL omissions, Pakistan cricketers deserved to play in the Indian domestic Twenty20 tournament that features a fair sprinkling of foreign cricketers and is one of the top cricket events in terms of spectator sports.

Afridi chose to go to lengths to also play it safe, stating that while he was not necessarily speaking for himself, he was making the request on behalf of the young Pakistan cricketers who thinks would benefit tremendously from the experience. But there was also a time when Afridi felt that the IPL was detrimental for Pakistan cricketers because of the tediousness involved not to mention the work overload.

The Pakistan cricketers, including Shahid Afridi, were part of the inaugural year for the IPL, but the 26/11 terrorist attacks struck a raw nerve with the Indian government firmly putting its foot down on the subject of India's tour of Pakistan. With the sentiments surrounding the terrorist attack in Mumbai, several Indian cricketers at the time only felt it right that they were not going on tour and that it would have made them uncomfortable as they had done so.

Thereafter the Pakistan cricketers have had a rough time of it, banned for the IPL 2 season, collectively overlooked for the IPL 3 auctions and not even featuring in the auction list for IPL 4.