Monitoring Desk
Shahid Afridi has finally publicly bid adieu to international cricket on Sunday, ending an illustrious 20-year career for Pakistan.
The 36-yar-old quit Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in 2015, but wanted to keep playing Twenty 20 (T20) cricket and lead Pakistan at the 2016 world championships in India. Following a dismal T20 world cup, Afridi stepped down as captain but continued playing in the shortest format of the game.
Afridi said goodbye in a best possible way, after a 28-ball 54 for Peshawar Zalmi that nearly won the game against Karachi Kings in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“I have said goodbye to international cricket,” Afridi was quoted from a BBC report. “I am playing for my fans and will continue to play this league for another two years but its goodbye from international cricket. Now my foundation is important for me. I have played with seriousness and in a professional way for my country.”
Afridi, who burst onto scene in 1996 with a jaw-dropping 37-ball century against Sri Lanka, played just 27 Tests, scoring 1,176 runs and picking up 48 wickets. He played 398 ODIs, amassing 8,064 runs and bagging 395 wickets.
In T20 cricket, the veteran played 98 matches with 1,405 runs and 97 scalps
