Afridi has taken over from shamed Test captain Salman Butt.

PAKISTAN'S new skipper Shahid Afridi has BANNED his players from reading the News of the World.

By SAM PETERS, 04/09/2010


UNDER PRESSURE - Pakistan's new skipper Shahid Afridi

Afridi has taken over from shamed Test captain Salman Butt.

And he has apologised "to all cricket lovers" for the shame his disgraced colleagues have heaped on the game.

The Pakistan team braced themselves for more revelations in Sunday's paper after we sensationally broke the spot-fixing story last week.

But Afridi told his players to avoid a trip to the newsagent ahead of their Twenty20 clash on Sunday.

He said: "I've told the boys 'Don't read the newspaper - just focus on cricket'. I know the people in Pakistan are very upset and what's happened is very disappointing. I think this is very bad news.

"On behalf of these boys I want to say sorry to all cricket lovers and all the cricketing nations."

* 'Fixer' Mazhar Majeed has plunged the non-league football club he owns into crisis.

Croydon Athletic's manager and players on Saturday decided to quit after going unpaid for three weeks.