Afridi tested positive for COVID-19
Image : Collected
|| Desk Report ||
Former Pakistan cricket legend Boom Boom Shahid Afridi has tested positive for the coronavirus today.
Afridi himself confirmed the information on Saturday and came down to his Twitter account to ask his fans to keep him in their prayers. The 40-year-old all-rounder was feeling unwell since Thursday.
After Taufeeq Umar, Afridi has become the second international cricketer from Pakistan who has been tested corona positive though Taufeeq has successfully recovered from the contagion virus.
Two first-class cricketers have died due to the infection of COVID-19 so far in Pakistan with leg-spinner Riaz Sheikh passed away in Karachi earlier this month. Zafar Sarfraz, the former first-class player, was the first professional player to die due to the deadly virus.
Former Pakistan captain urged his fans for blessings and prayers for his speedy recovery.
“I’ve been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. I’ve been tested and unfortunately I’m COVID positive. Need prayers for a speedy recovery, InshaAllah,” Shahid Afridi wrote on Twitter.
Since the Coronavirus outbreak began, Afridi has been doing a lot of charity work through his foundation, Hope Not Out. The former Pakistan skipper has helped thousands of poor families with ration and other essential supplies over the past couple of months.
His works had even received the backing of Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, though the relations between them turned sour after Afridi made controversial remarks on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The veteran cricketer had recently hailed Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) move to appoint Younis Khan as the team’s batting coach for the England tour. The PCB now has an all-cricket coaching staff including Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq as well as Saqlain Mushtaq.
“This is a show of cricketers and it is better if it’s run by them. All are sincere and have great individual performances when it comes to cricket or coaching. I am hopeful that they will do their jobs in the best possible manner,” he had said on his YouTube channel.
Afridi, a member of 2009 T20 World Cup-winning team, played 27 Tests coupled with 398 ODIs and 99 T20Is for the national team from 1998 to 2018. He scored 1716, 8064 and 1416 runs in Tests, ODIs and T20Is respectively.
His handy leg-spin bowling gets him 48 wickets in Tests, 395 in ODIs and 98 in T20Is. Pakistan also played the 2011 ICC World Cup under his leadership.
The former Pakistan all-rounder had retired from international cricket in 2017 but he continues to play franchise cricket. In March this year, he represented Multan Sultans in Pakistan Super League (PSL).
