It is official now that Shahid Afridi retired from the international cricket. The legend served the crazy cricket fans for over 20 years. Afridi made the announcement after making a quick 54 off just 28 balls while playing for Peshawar Zalmi. Afridi was not able to convert the match into a win.
Shahid Afridi Retired – No Surprise for Cricketing Fans
Shahid Afridi has not been lately in good nick. Last year, Shahid Afridi led Pakistan Cricket Team to the T20 world cup and later stepped down as captain of the team. He did not announce his retirement then. Pakistan Cricket Board did not include Afridi in the two T20 squads.
Shahid Afridi retired after not being selected and his retirement became a hot topic of discussion between cricketing fans. The PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan said that he had reached an agreement with Afridi that he would retire after the T20 World Cup.
At the start of the PSL, Shahid Afridi had already declared that he was thinking of getting retired. However, as Afridi had not announced his retirement, the new selection committee under the leadership of Inzamam-ul-Haq was already ignoring him for the T20 squad.
It feels as if Shahid Afridi retired because he has not got the kind of response he anticipated. He had indicated his wish to play a farewell match or series so he could leave cricket in a more graceful manner.
Here is what Shahid Afridi had to say about his retirement.
“I have said goodbye to international cricket. I am playing for my fans and will continue to play this league for another two years, but it’s goodbye from international cricket. Now my foundation is important for me. I have played with seriousness and in a professional way for my country.”
He had a less aggressive approach towards the PSL 2. His reduced interest in the game was evident by the fact that he had handed over captaincy of Peshawar Zalmi to Darren Sammy. Shahid Afridi retired because he only got one wicket this season, although bowling at a very economical rate. This fifty of Shahid Afridi was his only so far in this PSL 2 season.
Shahid Afridi first retired from Test cricket in 2010. He announced his retirement from the ODI cricket right after the 2015 World Cup. He rose to fame for his then fastest 100 against Sri Lanka only on 37 balls while playing in his 2nd ODI.
Shahid Afridi performed heroically in the T20 game format. He was player of the tournament in the T20 World Cup 2007. And he played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup win back in 2009. Besides playing for Pakistan Team, he played in T20 for several other teams including Hampshire for NatWest T20 Blast, for Islamabad in Pakistan’s National T20, for Rangpur Riders in BPL, and now playing in PSL 2 for Peshawar Zalmi.
