With Shahid Afridi on their side, Bannu IDPs defeat army in cricket match

DG ISPR will award the winning team with a trophy; Afridi lauds army for arranging match,helping IDPs

BANNU: Star cricketer Shahid Afridi visited internally displaced persons in Bannu on Wednesday, helping them win a game of cricket against the Pakistan Army, Express News reported.

Afridi, known affectionately as 'Lala', arrived at the Bannu camp to play the match in an attempt to boost the morale and give them hope of the IDPs, who have been displaced as a result of the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency.

The winning side will be awarded a trophy by Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Maj General Asim Bajwa.

Additionally, anyone who would manage to get Afridi out would have been given a special reward.

"It was very nice of our Twenty20 national team's captain Shahid Afridi to come here today to play a match with the children," said Bajwa.

"There is a lot of talent here," Afridi said. "But there are no academies here to make use of this talent."

"I plan on starting a cricket academy in the middle of Peshawar and Kohat," the cricketer said.

"I give the Pak army immense credit for this and for providing IDPs with education," he said.

Afridi was seen shaking hands with the IDPs' cricket team as well as taking pictures with children from the camp.

On Tuesday, the cricketer tweeted about providing relief goods to the displaced persons.

https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial/status/524620845965004801

The DG ISPR also spoke about the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb.

"It is coming along successfully," he said. "It is going according to plan and is progressing well."

"We have managed to clear militants from several locations," Bajwa said.