Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi has signed a three-year contract with Desert Vipers for the second season of the UAE’s ILT20, and will become the first Pakistan player to play in the league in January next year.
The left-armer, one of the most feared opening bowlers in world cricket, is set to link up with the Vipers for the second edition of the United Arab Emirates T20 League, the ILT20, in early 2024, on a three-year contract.
Afridi, 23, who was named as ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year in 2021, has played 27 Tests, 36 One-Day Internationals and 52 Twenty20 Internationals and has 239 wickets across all formats at international level.
“I am excited to join the Desert Vipers. I know there are many Pakistan cricket fans in the UAE and I hope they will support our team in the upcoming ILT20,” Afridi said in a statement.
The next season of ILT20 is scheduled to begin on January 13, and Afridi could join the team after returning from Australia.
The Desert Vipers finished as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in January and February 2023.
