Shahid Afridi expresses desire to play final match in Lahore

What’s the story?

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi expressed his desire to play his final match in Lahore. He recently announced his retirement after Peshawar Zalmi’s match against the Karachi Kings at Sharjah during the Pakistan Super League.

"Decision to hold PSL final in Lahore is massive and I am really looking forward to it," the Dawn quoted Afridi as saying when asked about the PSL final.

In case you didn’t know...

Currently playing for the Peshawar Zalmi, Afridi produced a vintage performance as he smashed his way to a 28-ball-54 against the Karachi Kings just before announcing his retirement. He is currently the second highest run-getter for Peshawar with 143 runs in six innings. 

He had requested the PCB for a send off a few month ago, but he was rejected by the cricket board. 

The details

This is not the first time Afridi has retired from international cricket. In fact, he has done it on multiple occasions and has always come out of retirement to play for his nation. It began in 2006 when he had decided to retire from Test cricket, but took a U-turn within two weeks to make a comeback.

Extra Cover: Detailed list of all Shahid Afridi retirements

He then finally retired from Tests in 2010. He then retired from ODIs after Pakistan’s exit from the 2011 world cup after the Pakistan Cricket Board dropped him as captain, but made a comeback after five months. He had even announced that he would retire after the World T20 in 2016, but did not do so and continued to play for Pakistan. 

What’s next? 

The Peshawar Zalmi will be looking to win their playoff match against the Quetta Gladiators following which they would qualify for the final which will be held in Lahore. With the recent bomb blasts in the city, there was a lot of speculation about whether the match would take place over there or not.

Sportskeeda’s take

Afridi has played an integral role in Pakistan’s success over the years. He achieved a lot of success with the bat and ball and will be remembered for his ability to decimate the opposition bowlers on any given stage in any given situation.

After all that he has done and achieved for Pakistan cricket, it only seems fitting that his request for his final match at Lahore be granted, whether it is the PSL final or a separate match organised just for him.