LAHORE: Pakistan’s all-rounder Shahid Afridi has decided to return back to Pakistan from Sri Lanka, where he was leading Galle Gladiators in the inaugural edition of Lanka Premier League (LPL), in order to attend to a personal emergency.
On a social media website Twitter, the all-rounder announced, while confirming that he would be back to represent the franchise after taking care of the situation back home.
“Unfortunately I have a personal emergency to attend to back home. I will return to join back my team at LPL immediately after the situation is handled. All the best,” Afridi added.
Unfortunately I have a personal emergency to attend to back home. I will return to join back my team at LPL immediately after the situation is handled. All the best.
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) December 2, 2020
Last Friday, Afridi had a great beginning with the bat in the tournament, scoring 58 runs off 23 balls, with the help of six maximums and three fours, in Gladiators’ season opener against Jaffna Stallions.
However, the Gladiators are at the bottom of the points table and yet to open their account in the tournament, having lost all three of their games so far.
Meanwhile, the eighth member of Pakistan’s cricket squad has tested positive for COVID-19 as the team undergoes quarantine in Christchurch.
New Zealand’s health department said there was one new confirmed case among the squad and a further two members were being investigated, adding to the seven who previously tested positive over the past week.
The department said the team would not be allowed to train together until doctors were confident it would not lead to more coronavirus cases. Director-General Health Ashley Bloomfield issued the team with a “final warning” last week for flouting social distancing protocols at their hotel. No further breaches have been reported since.
Two of the original six cases last week were subsequently found to be historical, meaning they were not infectious, while the other four were active. A seventh member of the squad tested positive on Saturday.
The 53-member tour party, led by skipper Babar Azam, arrived in Christchurch on November 24 for two weeks of quarantine which is mandatory for all overseas arrivals in New Zealand.
