Afridi's manager attributes ball-tampering to his strong desire to win

Islamabad, Feb. 1 (ANI): While Shahid Afridi, who is facing a two-match ban for ball tampering, has apologised for his action during a match against Australia on Sunday, his manager has insisted that the Pakistani all-rounder's desire to win led him to the embarrassing situation.

"Shahid's desire to win today was there for all to see. There's nothing more to it, obviously Shahid is very sorry for his actions and as his manager I pray that he has learnt from it," PakPassion.net quoted Umran, as saying.

Umran added that under Afridi's leadership, Pakistani team's killer instinct seemed to be back.

"The main thing I have taken from today's game is the heightened level of performance in the field shown by the team towards their new skipper. The team played as a unit and battled with some pride, and I conveyed the same to Shahid after the match today," he said.

Umran said that Afridi would use the two-match ban to spend time with his family.

"I can confirm that Shahid will be going home early so that he can spend some much deserved time with his wife and daughters," he said. (ANI)