Pakistan speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi: “One thing is clear that I won’t play for any other franchise in PSL. A team which gave me respect and supported me a lot in my career, I will prefer to leave cricket instead of leaving Lahore Qalandars”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has made it clear that he would rather walk away from cricket than leave the Lahore Qalandars.
Afridi, who captains the Qalandars, dismissed the possibility of joining another Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise when asked about a potential move to Peshawar Zalmi, the 2026 champions led by Babar Azam.
Explaining his loyalty, the 26-year-old left-arm fast bowler said the franchise has supported him tremendously and shown him immense respect.
“One thing is clear that I won’t play for any other franchise in PSL. A team which gave me respect and supported me a lot in my career, I will prefer to leave cricket instead of leaving Lahore Qalandars,” he was quoted as saying on Facebook.
During PSL 11, Afridi took 16 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 18.18 and an economy rate of 7.86.
He recently featured in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, but was only picked for the 1st Test in Mirpur, where he snapped up five wickets in total.
Afridi will now lead the men in green in their three-match ODI series against Australia, which will be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from May 30 to June 4.
Pakistan Squad for Australia ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Maaz Sadaqat, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim