Swashbuckling all-rounder Shahid Afridi has signed up to play in the inaugural Emirates Airline Twenty20 Tournament in Dubai. In an amazing coup, Fly Emirates XI - a team of amateurs who juggle cricket with busy jobs at the Emirates Group - have recruited the 29-year-old in a bid to claim a shock victory against the professional teams they will be facing in the two-day festival of cricket on 19th and 20th March.
Afridi will be lining up alongside Emirates employees including four who are also members of the UAE team which reached the last four of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers - as they attempt to upset the odds against some of South Africa and England's most talented Twenty20 players.
Afridi said, "It is going to be a tough challenge, but I am looking forward to it. I always enjoy my time in Dubai and am very excited about playing in the first ever Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament. I know there is a real passion among cricket fans in the UAE and it will be great to play in front of them." It is a dream come true for Fly Emirates XI skipper Nigel Fernandes, who is delighted his team will get the opportunity to learn from one of the game's most gifted players.
"I can't believe that Shahid Afridi will be playing for us," said the 32-year-old batsman from India, who works as an Airport Services Supervisor at the Emirates Group. "He is among the best players in the world at the moment and to have him alongside us will give us great confidence.
He is a player I greatly admire. He is a natural talent who can win matches single-handedly. It will be an incredible experience for everyone in the team and a real honour to line up beside him," Fernandes added. Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman, Emirates Airline & Group said he was delighted that the Fly Emirates XI will get the chance to play with Afridi.
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