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Shahid Afridi decides to retire from T20I cricket once again; Twitter reacts

Afridi, one of the longest servants of Pakistan cricket, has represented Pakistan in 98 T20Is, claiming 97 wickets and scoring 1405 runs at an average of over 18.

user-circle cricketcountry.com Written by Cricket Country Staff
Published: Sep 12, 2016, 06:20 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 12, 2016, 06:20 PM (IST)

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Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has escaped retirement on numerous occasions in the past. He retired from One-Day International (ODI) cricket last year after the conclusion of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. However, he had mulled retiring from the 50-over format on previous occasions as well. Similarly, he had hinted on multiple occasions about his intentions to quit the shortest format of the game. Earlier this year, during the ICC World T20 2016 in India, Afridi had hinted at quitting the game after Pakistan’s last league fixture against Australia by saying the game could be his last for Pakistan.

However, the talismanic all-rounder made a U-turn on his retirement immediately after the tournament as he only relinquished his captaincy and not cricket. He has not been picked since for Pakistan’s T20I side. There were a few rumours going around before the selection of Pakistan’s team for the only T20I for the England tour, which concluded recently, that Afridi might make a comeback. But the selectors put an end to the rumours by ignoring him and picking a young side instead, which won the game in an emphatic fashion by nine wickets. Later, he was ignored for the three-match T20I series against West Indies as well, which will be played next month.

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On Monday, it was reported that Afridi is planning to finally retire from the game. The announcement came when a Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported the same. The report quoted a member of the national selection committee as saying that Afridi has contacted Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a farewell match in the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies in United Arab Emirates. However, the report also mentioned that a final decision in this regard will be taken by board chairman Shaharyar Khan, who is currently in London undergoing a medical treatment.

This development, if true, shall bring an end to an illustrious 20-year career. Afridi, one of the longest servants of Pakistan cricket, has represented Pakistan in 98 T20Is, claiming 97 wickets and scoring 1405 runs at an average of over 18. He has also captained the national team in 43 matches in the shortest format of the game, winning 19 and losing 23. Though ‘Lala’ has frequently expressed his desire to represent Pakistan again, this report indicates end of an era in Pakistan cricket.

The moment this news started circulating on social media, his fans and well wishers tweeted their sorrow on his decision to retire. At the same time, few trolls also trained their guns at the maverick cricketer and trolled him for his past decisions to retire and the subsequent U-turns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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