Karachi : Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who plays for Peshawar Zalmi franchise in Pakistan Super League (PSL), has confirmed he will be unable to play the final against Quetta Gladiators scheduled for March 5 in Lahore.
Afridi injured his right hand while attempting to take a catch of Kieron Pollard off the bowling of Hassan Ali, in the third qualifying final against Karachi Kings.
In a video message, Afridi said that he has been instructed by the doctors to rest for 10 day following his hand injury.
“I really wanted to play the PSL final in Lahore in front of my countrymen, but there are certain things which are not in my or anyone else’s power,” Express Tribune quoted Afridi as saying.
However, former T20I captain, expressed pleasure over his performance in the league, especially after Pakistan’s exit from the World T20 last year.
“PSL was a big challenge for me after the World T20 because I had thought I would not able to give performances expected by my fans,” he said.
Earlier, there were doubts whether the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would hold the PSL final in Lahore following the February 13 suicide bombing in which 13 people were killed.
However, in a meeting held earlier this month between the PSL management and the five franchise owners in Dubai, it was decided the summit clash of the tournament would be held at the PCB headquarters on March 5 as per schedule.
Last Monday, the Punjab government had also given its go-ahead for the final to take place in Lahore following thorough consideration and evaluation of security conditions in the country after a series of bomb blasts in the preceding weeks
The 37-year-old had last month announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing to an end his illustrious 21-year career.
Nicknamed ‘Boom Boom’, the all-rounder was active in the International T20 format after having quit Test cricket in 2010 and ODIs in 2015.
Afridi finished his international career having played 27 Test matches, in which he hit 1,176 runs with a highest score of 156 and 48 wickets. In the 398 ODIs that he played throughout his career, he notched up 8,064 runs, with a highest score of 124, and took 395 wickets with his leg spin.
His T20I international career saw him play 98 matches and score 1,405 runs and take 97 wickets.
–ANI