Tag: Shahid Afridi

  • Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik to play Legends League

    Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik to play Legends League

    Former Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar and many more will be part of Legends League, which will be played in January 2022 at the Al-Amerat Cricket Stadium in Oman.

    They will be representing the Asia Lions team, which also includes the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.

    “Asia Lions our team from Asia. We find it most suited name with the lion-hearted players that feature in the team. Shoaib Akhtar running in to bowl and Jayasuriya cutting it over the square is what fans will now be most eagerly waiting for,” said Raman Raheja, CEO of Legends League Cricket in a press release.

    Ravi Shastri, commissioner of Legends League, is also excited for the event due to the presence of great players.

    “This is top quality exciting cricket in offer. The Lions of Asia from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan coming together in one team will definitely give the other two teams a run for their money. I tell you they are absolute champions and Afridi, Murali, Chaminda, Shoaib Malik all playing in one team, this will be a blast,” said Shastri.

    The other two teams in the event are India and Rest of the World but their squads have not been announced, yet.

    Asia Lions squad:

    Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Azhar Mahmood, Upul Tharanga, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Yousuf, Umar Gul, Younis Khan and Asghar Afghan.

  • ‘Wo bhi Afridi hai’: Shaheen ignores Shahid Afridi’s advice on assuming Qalandars’ captaincy

    ‘Wo bhi Afridi hai’: Shaheen ignores Shahid Afridi’s advice on assuming Qalandars’ captaincy

    Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has said that he asked pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to not assume the role of a captain for a few years, but the fast-bowler did not pay heed to the cricket great’s advice.

    Shahid Afridi, speaking during a programme on Samaa TV, said: “I had advised Shaheen to wait for a year or two before accepting captaincy so that he can focus more on his bowling. But since he is also an Afridi, he didn’t listen to me.”

    “Having said that, I’m happy that he has decided to accept this responsibility and I hope that he proves me wrong,” the former skipper said.

    The star fast bowler was named captain of the Lahore Qalandars earlier this week for the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Shaheen, during the same show, said he would attempt to do well for his team and also noted that he had experienced players on his side, who would help him during his role as the captain.

    “I will try to do well for my side and maintain a good environment. I have players like [Mohammad Hafeez], Fakhar [Zaman], and Rashid [khan], who have the experience of captaincy, in the team which will help me in the leadership department,” the pacer said.

    The PSL’s latest edition will be played in Karachi from January 27 to February 7 and in Lahore from February 10-27.

    The first match will be staged under the lights of the National Stadium Karachi, where Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans will go head-to-head.

  • Shaheen Afridi to lead Lahore Qalandars in PSL 7

    Shaheen Afridi to lead Lahore Qalandars in PSL 7

    Pakistan’s young pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will be the captain of Lahore Qalandars in Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition.

    The franchise made the announcement in a press conference at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore.

    “Thank you Lahore Qalandars, this is not just a team, it’s a family. I thank them for placing their trust in me for this role,” said Shaheen.

    “I will try to ensure that the team shows good performances on the field,” he added.

    The speedster is the highest wicket-taker for the Qalandars, with 50 wickets in 37 matches, after having joined the franchise in 2018.

    Afridi has replaced Sohail Akhtar, who was the captain of the team since 2018.

    Aqib Javed, the Director Cricket Operations and head coach of Qalandars, also heaped praise on Afridi and hoped that the left-armer will take the team to new heights.

    “We are very happy to appoint him as captain of Lahore Qalandars and looking forward to see his wonders both with ball and his leadership skills,” Javed said. “He has been with us since 2018 and this is the right time to provide him the opportunity to lead the Lahore Qalandars’ young outfit.”

    The seventh edition of PSL will start on January 27.

    Matches from January 27- February 7 will be played at the National Stadium, Karachi, whereas the remaining fixtures will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore with the final set to take place on February 27.

  • Afridi, Vince move to Quetta, Azam Khan moves to Islamabad

    Afridi, Vince move to Quetta, Azam Khan moves to Islamabad

    The reports of former captain Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi being moved to Quetta Gladiators were circulating on social media and now the news has been confirmed by the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) page and franchise Quetta Gladiators. It’s going to be the fourth PSL team for the 41-year-old after he last played for the Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans and the Peshawar Zalmi. In the previous edition, he was a part of the Sultans, who won their maiden PSL title under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan.

    For the Gladiators, Afridi is most likely to play under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s captaincy. The upcoming edition may well be his last season in the T20 championship. The former Pakistan all-rounder wished to sign off from the PSL after guiding the Gladiators through to title glory.

    “I am excited to join Quetta Gladiators, a side that has had a roller-coaster ride in the past few events despite winning the title in 2019. In my final HBL PSL event, it will my dream and wish to sign off with another HBL PSL trophy after tasting success with Peshawar Zalmi in 2017.

    “HBL PSL is an event that encourages and inspires a player to give his very best. I will use the same motivation to help my team and put in performances that can help us achieve our event objectives,” Afridi said on PSL’s official website.

    Along with Afridi, England’s James Vince has also been traded from the Sultans to the Gladiators. Iftikhar Ahmed, who played for Islamabad United in last edition, will play alongside newly traded Vince and Afridi in the Gladiators.

    Young wicket keeper-batter Azam Khan, who represented the Gladiators last season, will play for United in the upcoming season. The PSL draft is scheduled to take place at the High Performance Centre in Lahore on Sunday, December 12.

  • ‘We are embarrassed’: Shoaib Malik condemns ‘violence’ in Sialkot, demands punishment for ‘culprits’

    ‘We are embarrassed’: Shoaib Malik condemns ‘violence’ in Sialkot, demands punishment for ‘culprits’

    Pakistan national cricketer Shoaib Malik, who belongs to Sialkot, has condemned the ‘violence’ in Sialkot by a mob.

    Taking to Twitter, the cricketer said: “My heartiest condolences, I stand with the family of the deceased & strongly condemn this act of violence.”

    He also said that what happened there should not have happened. The cricketer also demanded punishment for the culprits.

    He further added: “What happened, shouldn’t have happened, we are embarrassed. The culprits should be punished at the earliest… #Sialkot.”

    Former captain of Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi also expressed his thoughts, sharing a Quranic verse: “Whosoever kills a person … it shall be as if he has killed all mankind.”

    Similarly, Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Hafeez expressed his grief on Twitter.

    “Condemning horrific attack on a factory & shameful incident in Sialkot. As Pakistani i wil call it a black day for our society,” he wrote while adding hashtags of #Sialkot and #Justice.”

    The gut-wrenching incident took place on Sialkot’s Wazirabad Road, where workers of private factories brutally lynched a Sri Lankan national, Priyantha Kumara, on Friday.

    The nation was shell-shocked and disgusted when the Sri Lankan national was brutally lynched and his body was set on fire by the mob. The sickening incident outraged the nation as the civil and military leaders denounced it as “horrific” “shameful” and “extra-judicial vigilantism”.

    Several gruesome video clips shared on social media showed a mob beating the victim while chanting slogans against blasphemy.

    President Arif Alvi said the vigilante attack has nothing to do with religion as Prime Minister Imran Khan promised that those responsible “will be punished with the full severity of the law”.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted that the “horrific, vigilante attack” on the factory and the burning alive of the Sri Lankan man was “a day of shame for Pakistan”.

    “I am overseeing the investigations and, let there be no mistake, all those responsible will be punished with the full severity of the law. Arrests are in progress,” he added.

    Chief Minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar tweeted that he was “extremely shocked at the horrific Sialkot incident”.

    According to the latest updates, more than 100 people, including 13 of the main culprits have been arrested.

    Police is identifying all the culprits using CCTV footages.

    Meanwhile, the IG Punjab has ordered officials to submit a report within 48 hours.

  • Furious Shahid Afridi questions Bangladesh ‘if they want to progress’

    Furious Shahid Afridi questions Bangladesh ‘if they want to progress’

    Former captain of Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi congratulated Pakistan cricket team for winning the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh and at the same time, he furiously questioned the Bangladesh cricket team “if they want to progress”.

    Read More – Pakistan wins T20 series in Bangladesh

    Taking to Twitter, Afridi expressed his displeasure over Bangladesh’s difficult pitches, saying: “Bangladesh really need to do some soul searching, do they want to win on such pitches and give ordinary performances abroad and in World Cups?”

    “They have great talent and passion for the game but desperately need better pitches if they want to progress,” he added while giving them a piece of advice.

    Bangladesh had a poor Super 12 stage in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. They failed to win a single game and were plagued with plenty of batting and bowling issues, including the loss of Shakib Al Hasan, who was ruled out with an injury in the middle of the tournament.

    However, Bangladesh are a different beast altogether at home. They defeated Australia and New Zealand before the T20 World Cup and were hoping to get back to their winning ways in familiar conditions. But Pakistan, after a phenomenal form in the T20 World Cup, persisted their consistency, beating Bangladesh with 3-0 in the series.

    Meanwhile, former cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq and Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja also slammed Bangladesh cricket for not having enough competition for places in the side.

    Though the matches were low-scoring, Pakistan managed to clinch the series through a clean sweep and now both teams will square off in a two-match Test series, beginning on Friday in Chittagong.

  • Shahid Afridi reportedly to play for Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2022

    Shahid Afridi reportedly to play for Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2022

    Pakistan’s former captain Shahid Afridi will reportedly be playing for Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) franchise Quetta Gladiators. Nadeem Omar, who is the owner of the Quetta Gladiators, had confirmed the same.

    Read More – ‘The problem I have with Shahid [Afridi]…’, Shoaib Akhtar tells all

    Earlier in June, Afridi, who has played for Omar’s Galle Gladiators in Sri Lanka Premier League (SPL), had himself stated that he would like to be a part of the Quetta Gladiators franchise in his last PSL season in 2022. And, this news was even confirmed by Azam Khan, who is the manager of the Quetta Gladiators.

    “If the franchise [Multan Sultans] releases me, I will prefer to represent the Quetta Gladiators in my last season,” Afridi had said in an interview. You can also see a tweet about Shahid Afridi playing for the Quetta Gladiators below.

    The player draft for the 2022 season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will take place in the second week of December. But then, the manager of the Multan Sultans and COO, Haider Azhar has revealed that Afridi being released by the franchise has not been confirmed as of now.

    Afridi has played 50 matches in the PSL and has scalped 44 wickets. With the bat, Afridi has smashed 465 runs in his PSL career. He has played with Multan Sultans in the last season and spent two seasons at Peshawar Zalmi and one at Karachi Kings. If he shifts to Gladiators, it will be his fourth team in the league.

  • ‘The problem I have with Shahid [Afridi]…’, Shoaib Akhtar tells all

    ‘The problem I have with Shahid [Afridi]…’, Shoaib Akhtar tells all

    In a video posted by Shoaib Akhtar on Twitter, he revealed the problems he has with Boom Boom Shahid Afridi.

    Narrating his lists of problems, Akhtar said, “The only problem I have with Shahid is, he is way better looking than I am.”

    https://twitter.com/shoaib100mph/status/1460570177213550592?s=21

    “He hits the ball far better than I can, the problem is he is more famous than I am,” added Akhtar.

    Akhtar further said, “Another biggest problem I have with him [Shahid], is his hair. He has more hair than I have.”

    On Tuesday, Shahid Afridi thanked Shoaib Akhtar and said that he liked the “lot of truth” that Shoaib had spoken about in one of their recent meet-ups.

    Afridi said he was pleased to see Akhtar and complimented him for looking “fit” as he retweeted a tweet by Akhtar.

    “Buhut Shukria Shoaibi! Aapke moun se itna sara sach buhut acha laga. And great to see you, my friend, you look fit hope your knees continue to support you,” wrote Afridi.

    Akhtar’s post, retweeted by Afridi, was a video that the fast bowler had shared earlier on Tuesday.

  • ‘Hoped to see Pakistan play’: Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar meet at T20 World Cup final

    ‘Hoped to see Pakistan play’: Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar meet at T20 World Cup final

    Former Pakistani cricketers Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar met at the Dubai International Stadium during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final on Sunday.

    The Rawalpindi Express shared a picture on Instagram where he and Afridi looked cheerful upon seeing each other at the stadium.

    “Ran into the crowd favourite and our very own @safridiofficial . Lovely to see you lala,” he wrote in the caption.

    Minutes before meeting Afridi, Akhtar had posted another of his pictures from the final match, saying it “would have been a different day” had Pakistan made it to the final.

    However, the cricketer said it was a lovely feeling to watch the much-anticipated match at “the Ring of Fire”.

    “Would have been such a different day. But nevertheless, what a lovely feeling being at the Ring of fire,” he wrote.

    Meanwhile, Shahid Afridi said that he was “looking forward” to winning team at the T20 World Cup final.

    Taking to Instagram, Afridi shared a picture from the Dubai International Stadium and said that he “had hoped to see Pakistan play” in the final.

    The cricketer wished both the teams playing best of luck and hoped that the “best team” wins.

    Beating Kiwis with 8 wickets, Australia became the champion of T20 World Cup 2021.

  • ‘Not happy’: Shahid Afridi schools Shaheen for bad bowling in semi-final

    ‘Not happy’: Shahid Afridi schools Shaheen for bad bowling in semi-final

    Former Pakistan captain and T20 World Cup winner, Shahid Afridi is upset by the dismal performance of Shaheen Shah Afridi, as the young pacer conceded three back to back sixes off Matthew Wade, who guided Australia to their first T20 World Cup Final on Thursday.

    Read More – ‘No one should point fingers, I back everyone’: Babar Azam talks to team after losing semi-final

    The former all-rounder asserted that even if Hassan Ali dropped an important catch, it doesn’t mean that Afridi should have lost hope.

    “I am not happy with Shaheen in one area. Okay, so Hassan Ali dropped a catch but that does not mean you will bowl badly and get hit for three successive sixes,” Shahid Afridi said on Samaa TV.

    “Shaheen has so much pace and he should have used it sensibly. Even if the catch was dropped. He should have used his head and tried to bowl outside off stump fast Yorkers with his pace. He is not that sort of bowler to be hit like that,” the former Pakistan captain said.

    Shaheen set the World Cup on fire when he got rid of top players like Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul with a new ball in Pakistan’s big match against India. In the semi-final against Australia, he sent back the Australian captain Aaron Finch in the first over.

    Cracking the three balls for sixes, the Australian keeper-batter sealed their spot in the final.

    Read More – Hayden lauds ‘warrior’ Rizwan, who was in hospital the night before Pak-Aus match

    Australia will be facing New Zealand in Final of the T20 World Cup 2021 on Sunday at Dubai International Stadium.