BANNU- Pakistan cricket superstar Shahid Khan Afridi lead 'Afridi 11' to victory against 'IDP 11' in an exhibition match organized by the Pakistan Army at the Bakakhel camp in Bannu for the affected of the North Waziristan operation.
Afridi, affectionately known as ‘Lala’, arrived at the Bannu camp to play the match in an attempt to boost the morale and give hope to the IDPs, displaced as a result of the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency.
The mercurial all-rounder praised the performance of the children from North Waziristan who participated in the match. Afridi opened the innings for his team and scored 45 runs before he was out caught.
Speaking to media after the match, Afridi gave credit to the Pakistan Army for organising the match and facilitating the North Waziristan residents. He said that events like these would boost the morale of residents of the operation-affected region.
He said the children had continued their activities despite of their surrounding conditions and if they were continuously provided with facilities some of them would surely make the national team, adding
“I plan on starting a cricket academy in the middle of Peshawar and Kohat, and I give the Pak army immense credit for this and for providing IDPs with education,” he said. Afridi was seen shaking hands with the IDPs’ cricket team as well as taking pictures with children from the camp.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General AsimBajwa was also present on the occasion and distributed prizes among players of the match.“It was very nice of our Twenty20 national team’s captain ShahidAfridi to come here today to play a match with the children,” said Bajwa, who also spoke about the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb, saying “It is coming along successfully,” and it is going according to plan and is progressing well.We have managed to clear militants from several locations.”