Former captain Shahid Afridi will finally join Hampshire next week after being granted the No Objection Certificate by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following an “amicable agreement” between them.
In the light of Afridi’s sudden retirement and his harsh words against the PCB in the wake of his removal as Pakistan’s one-day international (ODI skipper) by the board, the PCB had suspended his central contract and revoked all No Objection Certificates (NOCs) issued to him, which meant he was unable to represent Hampshire in the Twenty20 competition.
But, following a meeting on Tuesday, the PCB granted the all-rounder the required NOC for playing in the FL T20.
“Shahid will join Hampshire next week to play T20 tournament. The meeting between Shahid and Ijaz Butt [PCB chairman] went very well and both parties have come to an amicable agreement,” the BBC quoted Afridi’s lawyer Umran Khan, as saying.
“I spoke to Giles White [Hampshire manager] this morning and they’re very pleased that it’s all sorted out. Shahid is very excited to finally be linking up with Hampshire and get back to doing what he loves, which is playing cricket,” he added.
Afridi, whose registration with Hampshire was removed by the England and Wales Cricket Board because of the row, was scheduled to make his Hampshire debut in their FL T20 opener against Somerset last month.
Earlier, Afridi met PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt in Islamabad on Tuesday amid indications that a resolution of the ongoing dispute between the two is on the cards. Well-placed sources confirmed that a meeting had taken place on the insistence of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, to whom Afridi had met in London and sought his help in resolving the matter, on Bilawal’s directives the issue had finally been settled, the sources have confirmed.
Finally! It was much overdue. Better late than never though!
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