Shahid Afridi urges PCB to give him a farewell match

Karachi: "Farewell match is my right", insisted former T20I skipper Shahid Afridi while urging the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to provide him with an opportunity to bid adieu to international arena in a befitting manner. The flamboyant all-rounder had stepped down from the captaincy after the World T20 debacle in India, where Pakistan could only manage to win just three out of eight matches. He, however, didn't announce his retirement from the game's shortest format. Afridi, who called curtains to his ODI career, last year after the 2015 50-over World Cup, revealed he had a discussion with PCB chairman Shahryar Khan about the proposed farewell match. The 36-year-old has stressed that he had contributed a lot to Pakistan cricket and, therefore, deserved a rousing send-off from international arena. Meanwhile, PCB executive committee chairman Najam Sethi hinted at the proposed good-bye match for Afridi, saying the board wanted to award the former skipper an opportunity. While talking to a private TV channel, Sethi said the meeting, which was scheduled to be held on September 26 for finalising the matter of farewell, was cancelled due to Afridi's engagements. "We are still waiting for Shahid Afridi to get a date from him for the meeting," he was quoted as saying by the Dawn. Afridi, who has made 98 T20I appearances, is the leading wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game with 97 scalps and has scored 1405 runs at an average of 18. Afridi was not picked for the one-off T20I under new captain Sarfraz Ahmed and it looks it will be difficult for him to make his international comeback.