Shahid Afridi: “I saw the look of joy on my father’s face and was comforted knowing that my family [would] finally support my dream to play cricket”
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has revealed that his father accepted his dream to play cricket after he was lauded in a newspaper article.
However, Afridi’s father was a stern critic of his ambitions at the beginning and even used to scold and beat the all-rounder.
When my father read about my first star performance in U-16 I realised I was #MoreThanMyMarks. Thanks @ZindagiTrust for taking me back – follow #MoreThanMyMarks for more stories of young Pakistanis pursuing their passions! pic.twitter.com/oh95yRrTVm
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) April 5, 2019
“When I first started playing cricket, things were a bit difficult for me. My father was against my playing cricket and I was scolded and beaten quite a lot,” he was quoted as saying by the Business Recorder.
Things changed after Afridi took a five-wicket haul in an under-16 tournament, which led to his photo being put in the newspaper along with an article that was full of praise for him.
“My father saw my photo and read the praise written about me,” he said. “I saw the look of joy on my father’s face and was comforted knowing that my family [would] finally support my dream to play cricket. I realised this was the time to prove myself. It was a big change in my life.”