Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Executive Committee Chairman Najam Sethi said that all-rounder Shahid Afridi and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal will granted a deserving farewell from the national team for their years of service.
“I will meet both players next week and we [board] will ensure that the duo is given a glorious farewell [from the national team],”Sethi said while talking to media.
Earlier, The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly changed its mind about sending off Shahid Afridi on a high note.
Read more: PCB in no mood to host grand farewell for Afridi
Reportedly, the top officials at PCB were angry with Afridi over his past comments on retirement plans and have decided to leave him out of the T20 side for the final T20 match against West Indies on September 27. The board had also cancelled all plans for a farewell ceremony for the all-rounder at the end of the series.
Similarly, Ajmal last represented Pakistan in 2015 in a T20I match against Bangladesh and subsequently fell out of favour due to changes in his bowling action. However, he was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded National T20 Cup with 20 wickets in the tournament.
While Afridi tops the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in T20Is with 97 scalps, Ajmal is third on that list with 85 wickets.
And the former captain previously told media that cricketers who serve the country for long periods deserve a rousing send-off.
“We don’t have a tradition of retiring players gracefully, which makes it tough for them to decide when to call it a day since we all have a desire of exiting on a high,” he said.
“Players must exit respectfully since the ones who serve the country with distinction deserve the honour,” he added.
Read more: Afridi announces retirement from T20 cricket