Afridi, Ajmal to be given a glorious farewell: Najam Sethi

PCB's Executive Committee chairman says that the duo will be granted a deserving farewell for their years of service

Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Executive Committee Chairman Najam Sethi said that all-rounder Shahid Afridi and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal will be granted a deserving farewell from the national team for their years of service.

According to Express News, Sethi said, “I will meet both players next week and we [board] will ensure that the duo be given a glorious farewell [from the national team].”

Earlier, it was reported that Afridi might not get the farewell international cap he wanted during the upcoming three-match series against the West Indies. It was expected that the former Pakistan T20I captain would not be included in the already announced 15-man squad as the 16th player.



Similarly, Ajmal last represented Pakistan in 2015 in a T20I match against Bangladesh and subsequently fell out of favour due to changes in his bowling action. However, he was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded National T20 Cup with 20 wickets in the tournament.

Highest wickets, best strike rate, best avg in NT20 cup proves my strong will and skills to make a come back in the national team.

— Saeed Ajmal (@REALsaeedajmal) September 15, 2016

While Afridi tops the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in T20Is with 97 scalps, Ajmal is third on that list with 85 wickets.



And the former captain previously told The Express Tribune that cricketers who serve the country for long periods deserve a rousing send-off.

“We don’t have a tradition of retiring players gracefully, which makes it tough for them to decide when to call it a day since we all have a desire of exiting on a high,” he said.

“Players must exit respectfully since the ones who serve the country with distinction deserve honour,” he added.