Lahore: Pakistan on Monday axed Shahid Afridi from their 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy following the allrounder's below-par performances in South Africa and a domestic competition.
The 33-year-old, who still holds the world record of fastest one-day century - off 37 balls made against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996 - has not taken a single wicket in his last six one-day internationals.
Undoubtedly the most popular player in Pakistan recently, Afridi has hit just two half-centuries in his last 15 one-day innings, while managing a mere 70 runs and three wickets in four matches for his domestic side this month.
He was also dropped from the one-day squad for last year's tour of India before making a comeback to the team for the limited-over series against South Africa in March, where his top-score of 88 came in a losing cause....
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11:55 PM, Apr 29, 2013
Misbah, who leads Pakistan in Test and one-day cricket, has come under fire after the team was outclassed in all three Tests in South Africa. ... 
Asked about his struggle in batting, Afridi said one couldn't play aggressive all the time batting at number seven. ... 
Yousuf has not played any first-class cricket since mid last year. ... 
Pakistan are due to tour India from December 22 to play two T20 matches and three ODIs. ... 
Iqbal Qasim says that Younis Khan and Umar Gul are rested, not axed, and both figure in future plans of the team. ... 
Shehzad has a history of disciplinary issues since he played for the national youth team. ... 
