Cricket

Afridi has no team ethics: Laxman

Deccan Chargers skipper VVS Laxman has hit back at Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who blamed his captaincy for the team’s failure in the Indian Premier League.

Afridi’s outburst prompted an angry reaction from Laxman, who said: “Afridi has no team ethics. He should know it was a collective failure because he was part of the team. It’s probably time someone told Afridi that a captain can only be as good as the team. He is an experienced cricketer and should not be questioning the way the team functions.”

“Speaking negatively about the team, let alone the captain, is just not on.”

Laxman was forced to miss a large part of the IPL after sustaining his injury and he pointed out that in his place Gilchrist failed to fare much better.

“There was not much I could do after I fractured my hand,” he said. “I only travelled with the team because I was requested to by the management. Gilchrist was fully in charge. He is a professional and when he leads the team he does not take orders from someone sitting on the bench.”

“Every player should share the blame,” he said. “And instead of blaming each other we ought to focus on performing better in the next edition.”

Tags: Deccan Chargers, IPL, shahid afridi, VVS Laxman