Cricket: Afridi insists there is no rift in Pakistan squad

On the eve of New Zealand's limited-overs series against Pakistan, controversial allrounder Shahid Afridi has rubbished talk of a rift between him and captain Younis Khan.

The big-hitting legspinner, who will captain Pakistan in two Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in Dubai early next month, had been fingered as one of the disruptive elements within the side, something Younis wanted resolved before agreeing to withdraw his resignation as national captain last week.

Afridi, one of Pakistan's most charismatic players, maintained Younis was the right man for the job.

"I am fed up of the thousand and one stories doing the rounds about me and Younis not getting along, my lust for captaincy and the like," he said.

"Younis and I go a long way as friends, almost 15 years. We won the world Twenty20 in June under Younis' leadership, and there's no reason why I should not back him for leading the team and the country to more laurels."

Younis has also got his way with changes in the team's management. Abdur Raqib, a veteran administrator known to be close to Younis, and Asad Mustafa, a long-serving Pakistani board official, replaced Yawar Saeed and Shafqat Rana as manager and assistant manager respectively.

It was Raqib who mediated a clear-the-air meeting between Younis and Afridi last week.