KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket chief Tuesday blasted an “irresponsible” Shahid Afridi for creating confusion around the team captaincy and said the popular big-hitting all-rounder could face disciplinary action.

Afridi, who led Pakistan in the third and final one-day international against Australia after regular captain Misbah-ul Haq withdrew because of poor batting form, said a final decision should be made on who would lead the team.

“Misbah or me, whoever is to lead Pakistan in the World Cup he should know it now,” Afridi said after Pakistan’s one-run defeat which handed Australia a 3-0 series win in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan hit out at Afridi over the comments.

“Afridi’s statement was irresponsible,” Khan said. “We are analyzing his statement to decide whether he has violated PCB’s code of conduct for an action.” Khan said Afridi’s statement had created unnecessary doubt over the captaincy for next year’s World Cup.

“I have told everyone, from Misbah to head coach Waqar Younes to chief selector and manager Moin Khan, that Misbah will lead Pakistan in the World Cup,” said Khan.

The PCB chief also pulled Afridi up on his form.

“Now people are saying Afridi should be the captain but although his bowling has improved his batting hasn’t,” said Khan.

“It’s up to the selectors to judge and see whether he (Afridi) deserves a place in the team,” Khan said.

Afridi took 3-46 in Pakistan’s 93-run defeat in the first one-dayer in Sharjah, his first wickets in seven one-day internationals.

Afridi, who has so far played 384 one-day internationals, has made only one half century in the last 28 innings.

Ajmal’s action to be retested

Pakistan’s cricket chief says suspended off-spinner Saeed Ajmal will soon have his illegal bowling action retested in hope of being cleared before the Cricket World Cup in four months.

“We are sending Ajmal informally to one of the (ICC-accredited) laboratories,” PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said on Tuesday.

“If we find his bowling action is OK, we will then go to the ICC for review ... and it will include both his normal action and doosra.” Ajmal will go to one of the laboratories in Cardiff, Brisbane or Chennai. Khan did not say which one, or when.

The world’s top-ranked bowler in one-day internationals was suspended on Sept. 9 by the International Cricket Council for an elbow extension of more than twice the allowable limit of 15 degrees.

Pakistan brought in former test off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq to help rehabilitate Ajmal at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, where two more former test bowlers Mushtaq Ahmed and Mohammad Akram also helped.

Ajmal told Khan this month that his elbow extension was around 20 degrees, and he hoped to bring it down to 10 degrees during the informal testing.

“When I met them (Ajmal and Saqlain) today, both told me that the bowling action is much better now, and we are prepared to get tested in front of high-speed cameras,” Khan said.

Khan admitted to doubting Ajmal could remodel his action since he had been bowling with the same action for five years, after he was first cleared in 2009.

“But the good thing was that Ajmal knew what the problem was,” Khan said.

In the absence of Ajmal, Australia whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 in the ODI series in the United Arab Emirates last week, and it will be tough for captain Misbah-ul-Haq to compete in the upcoming two tests without his ace slow bowler.

Pakistan is also scheduled to host New Zealand next month in the UAE for three tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s.