Captain of Twenty20 Shahid Khan Afridi on Tuesday announced he will be taking 150 students of Army Public School Peshawar (APS) to Dubai for the inaugural ceremony of Pakistan Super League (PSL). PSL will start next month from February 4 and will feature five teams which are Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.
"The lack of extracurricular activities at school, and college level are alarming and this problem needs to be solved as soon as possible," Afridi said while addressing the media at the army-run school here on Tuesday. He added "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are full of talented players who should be given opportunities," the T20 captain said during his talent hunt programme at the school for his league, Peshawar Zalmi. The 35-year-old further said that Peshawar Zalmi coaches are working hard to make sure each player delivers his best during the league.
Regarding his performance in the T20s for the national team, Afridi said he always tries to boost up the courage of players and co-operates with them in all fields. Moreover, he criticised Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal's recent performances and said that in a team game like cricket every individual has to contribute for the team's success. The star player visited APS where he stated that he is going to start Talent Hunt Program in the school to support the youngsters. Afridi slammed his favourite pair Ahmad Shahzad and Umar Akmal for their worst performance in New Zealand tour and said that cricket is a team game in which every player has to contribute for the winning. He said that he always tries to cooperate with the cricketers in all the fields including bowling and batting while the local administrations of all the provinces have to ensure gaming facilities in schools for better future of the cricket.
Moreover, stunning cricketer also distributed Peshawar Zalmi's kits among the students. He further announced to be retired after the World T20 which is due in India this March. Afridi, who has announced his retirement from the shortest format after the World T20, lauded the role of people from Fata for the country and said that they are very strong and brave but unfortunately have been misled. Peshawar Zalmi team owner Javed Afridi was also present on the occasion and the league's kits were distributed amongst the students.