Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
ISLAMABAD: The tremendous efforts made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in reviving international cricket in the country deserve high praise indeed and they are finally bearing fruit with the arrival of a high-profile World XI comprising players from seven countries here for a three-match T20 series.
However, PCB’s peculiar ways of handling a few things continue to irk the critics and the former players.
Early this year, when there was a suggestion from some quarters that brilliant all-rounder Shahid Afridi be given a farewell match to end his international career, some of the PCB bigwigs, including current chairman Najam Sethi, opposed and ridiculed the idea. It was only as an after-thought that the PCB announced to hold a joint farewell reception for former Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, senior batsman and skipper Younis Khan and ex-T20 captain and all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
However, it is a well-known fact that Afridi had declined to accept any invitation from the PCB for any farewell match or reception then and has stuck to his decision to this day.
Late on Wednesday evening, sources close to the PCB disclosed that Afridi, who is currently in Lahore to witness the World XI-Pakistan matches, was asked by chairman Sethi to do a lap of honour with the World XI and Pakistan players in the last T20 match, scheduled to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday to which Afridi graciously agreed.
However, in a late development, it transpired that Sethi asked Afridi to attend the grand reception at a local hotel on Thursday and accept an award from the PCB on the stage before doing the lap of honour in the Friday match. The sources confirmed that Afridi politely declined Sethi’s suggestion and said that he will be sticking to his earlier decision of not taking any farewell from the cricket board.
Sources further said that the all-rounder was obviously displeased by this ‘deal’ offered by Sethi and stayed away from the grand reception held in Lahore on Thursday.
Senior batsman Younis Khan, too, refused to attend the reception despite several reminders from the PCB.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1357679/p...-with-afridi-for-farewell-reception-backfires
However, PCB’s peculiar ways of handling a few things continue to irk the critics and the former players.
Early this year, when there was a suggestion from some quarters that brilliant all-rounder Shahid Afridi be given a farewell match to end his international career, some of the PCB bigwigs, including current chairman Najam Sethi, opposed and ridiculed the idea. It was only as an after-thought that the PCB announced to hold a joint farewell reception for former Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, senior batsman and skipper Younis Khan and ex-T20 captain and all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
However, it is a well-known fact that Afridi had declined to accept any invitation from the PCB for any farewell match or reception then and has stuck to his decision to this day.
Late on Wednesday evening, sources close to the PCB disclosed that Afridi, who is currently in Lahore to witness the World XI-Pakistan matches, was asked by chairman Sethi to do a lap of honour with the World XI and Pakistan players in the last T20 match, scheduled to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday to which Afridi graciously agreed.
However, in a late development, it transpired that Sethi asked Afridi to attend the grand reception at a local hotel on Thursday and accept an award from the PCB on the stage before doing the lap of honour in the Friday match. The sources confirmed that Afridi politely declined Sethi’s suggestion and said that he will be sticking to his earlier decision of not taking any farewell from the cricket board.
Sources further said that the all-rounder was obviously displeased by this ‘deal’ offered by Sethi and stayed away from the grand reception held in Lahore on Thursday.
Senior batsman Younis Khan, too, refused to attend the reception despite several reminders from the PCB.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1357679/p...-with-afridi-for-farewell-reception-backfires
