ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has removed Shahid Afridi as one-day team captain for the forthcoming series against Ireland. Butt appointed Misbah-ul-Haq to replace Shahid Afridi as one-day captain for a two-match series against Ireland this month. Butt said Afridi will play as an ordinary member of the team despite leading Pakistan to a 3-2 one-day series win over the West Indies earlier this month. The switch is likely to be seen as punishment for Afridi's public criticism of coach Waqar Younis' alleged interference in team selection. "Misbah will lead Pakistan in the two matches against Ireland and Afridi will play as a member (of the team) only," the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman told a media conference in Islamabad on Thursday. Afridi had captained the team to the World Cup semi-finals where they lost to India and recently also guided them to a 3-2 win over the West Indies in the ODI series in the Caribbean. Afridi ruffled feathers in the PCB and team when he returned from the Caribbean early this month and told the media that he was not happy with people interfering in his work. After the series against the West Indies, Afridi accused Waqar of meddling in team selection upon his return home on May 9. "Everyone should do his job and should be answerable for his duties," Afridi said. When asked about his differences with Waqar, Afridi replied: "They are not at a stage where we cannot resolve them." The PCB asked Afridi to explain why he violated the code of conduct that prohibits players from speaking to the media on team affairs. Afridi replied by saying he did not name Waqar. On Monday, he left for the United States for a private family visit and he will join the team in Ireland. A PCB spokesman said it was routine to appoint a new captain each series. "We appoint a captain on a series to series basis," the spokesman added. Earlier, the PCB issued a notice to Afridi to explain his conduct as he had violated the players' code of conduct with his statement on team affairs. Butt made it clear Afridi had never been given any assurances regarding the captaincy. He pointed out that the present policy of the board was to appoint captain on a series-to-series basis. Afridi had struggled with bat and ball in the one-day series in the West Indies but has been leading the national team in limited overs cricket since early 2010 while Misbah has been Test captain since last year. Ireland hosts Pakistan for two matches on May 28 and 30. The 31-year-old Afridi took over as Pakistan captain last year and guided the team to the World Cup semi-final where they lost to India. Pakistan squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (Capt), Younus Khan, Taufiq Umar, M Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Shahid Afridi, M Salman,Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Tanvir Ahmed, Hammad Azam.