Pakistan team returned home after the horrible tour of England, Captain Shahid Afridi called this tour "most difficult" of his career.
“It was tough because of the controversies and became very difficult to cope with, because every time we went out of the hotel people passed remarks against us,” Afridi told reporters on arrival in Karachi airport.
Pakistani team was hit by match- fixing, spot-fixing and ball-tempering allegations on this tour. Pakistan loses the Test series to England 3-1 and one dayers 3-2.
"Because of the controversies on the tour, it was the most difficult tour of my 14-year career." Afridi said.
In the 4th Test match spot-fixing allegation hit Pakistan as there was a case of bowling deliberate no-balls, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt provisionally banned by ICC because of this controversy and then in the third ODI team was again hit by spot-fixing allegations but his time there was the case of slow runout of Pakistan team in two overs of the game.
Afridi said that team unity remained intact in all these controversies and players showed a lot of fight in ODI series.
"The best part of the whole tour was that the players showed unity even in difficult times and gave a good fight in the one-day series against England."
Pakistan next assignment is home series against South Africa in UAE, Afridi gives a hint of returning into Test cricket again for UAE series.
"I will think about it and if the team needs it, I may consider playing the Test series against South Africa," Afridi added.
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said it was really tough for the support staff as well to keep the players intact. "If you take into account the tour to Sri Lanka [for the Asia Cup] before we went to England, it was four months on the trot and the tour of England was difficult both on and off the field," Waqar, who flew into Lahore, said.
"We had success against Australia which was pleasing, but because of the controversies it was tough against England. You needed that extra effort to gee up the players when you see a report in the newspaper every other day."
Pakistan started England tour very well by beating Australia 2-0 in T20’s and leveled the Test series 1-1. Start wasn’t good against England as Pakistan lose 2 Test but then made a superb comeback by winning the Oval Test, things started to get ridiculous in the Lord’s Test where Pakistani team was hit by spot-fixing allegations. Pakistan lost that series 3-1.
After losing the first 2 ODI’s Pakistan against made a stunning comeback by winning the next two but failed to won the series.
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