Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Friday declined an offer by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Executive Committee Chairman Najam Sethi to give him a farewell upon his retirement from international cricket.
The seasoned all-rounder took to Twitter to thank Sethi for meeting him last Sunday and offering to arrange a “fitting farewell” for him.
Afridi, however, declined to accept the farewell offer citing his ‘commitments’ and said his earlier desire for a farewell was just to “set a new trend”.
He said he was “very happy” that Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and master batsman Younis Khan — the veteran duo who announced retirement from international cricket this year — are being given proper farewells.
“I hope this trend will continue in the future,” the former skipper said.
“My desire was to set a new trend. I’m very happy that Misbah&Younis are getting proper farewells. I hope this trend will continue in future”.
Afridi had asked PCB in September last year to give him a farewell match so that he could exit the international arena in a befitting manner. “A farewell match is my right,” he had said.
Sethi and Afridi met in Dubai last week to discuss ideas to give a befitting farewell to the outgoing cricketer as well as plans about his future contributions to the sport in the country.
The legendary all-rounder announced his retirement from international cricket in February this year, ending an illustrious ─ and sometimes controversial ─ 21-year career.
The 36-year-old star had already quit Tests in 2010 and ODI cricket after the 2015 World Cup but still skippered the Pakistan Twenty20 team at the 2016 world championships in India.
He stepped down as captain after the tournament although he retained slender hopes of continuing his career in the sport’s shortest format as a player.
Afridi said he will now focus on playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the next two years.
“I am playing for my fans and will continue to play this league for another two years but it is goodbye from international cricket,” he had said when the second season of PSL was underway.
“Now my foundation [the Shahid Afridi Foundation] is important for me. I have played with seriousness and in a professional way for my country.”