Misbah, Afridi to do lap of honor ahead of the final World XI T20

Two of Pakistan’s finest cricketers – Misbah Ul Haq and Shahid Afridi – will do a lap of honor before the start of the final T20 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore later this evening. The 3-match series is leveled at 1-1 and the home side is under pressure to finish the series against World XI on a high.

Misbah Ul Haq was felicitated on Thursday and received the Spirit of Cricket award along with the Geo News Lifetime Achievement award in an annual PCB awards function. Misbah recently retired after helping Pakistan to a series win in the Caribbean in May 2017. Afridi, who was also invited to the event, gave it a miss giving rise to the ongoing speculation between the former captain and the Board. The 37-year old made his last appearance for the country during the ICC World T20 held in India last year.

Tussle between PCB and Afridi

If reports are to be believed, Afridi was keen on participating in the Shpageeza Premier League much to the dismay of the PCB. The Afghanistan Cricket Board and the PCB have been at loggerheads ever since Afghanistan denied touring to Pakistan following a bomb blast in Kabul which is speculated to be planned by a Pakistani group. PCB had disallowed its players to participate in the league but Afridi went ahead and confirmed his participation only to pull out at the last minute.

Afridi, however, was present in all 2 games played in Lahore and announced his presence in the final one in advance through an interview. The maverick all-rounder, who recently recorded his first century in T20 cricket playing for Hampshire, wished that Indian players were also a part of the historic Independence Cup.

Earlier in the day, Morne Morkel made it very clear that their mission is to win the series tonight. His team made a remarkable comeback on Wednesday after losing the opening game.