Homecoming Masses expected to welcome Afridi

Group named ‘Pakistan Cricket Lovers’ has put up billboards in Gulshan Town, urging public to gather at the airport

KARACHI: Despite being stripped of the captaincy, having his contract suspended and his county stint blocked, all-rounder Shahid Afridi still remains a crowd puller with thousands expected to welcome him when he arrives in Karachi later Sunday evening. A group named the ‘Pakistan Cricket Lovers’ has put up billboards in Gulshan Town, urging the public — who Afridi targeted precisely to get much-needed support — to visit the airport and show their backing for the individual asked to face the Pakistan Cricket Board disciplinary committee on Wednesday. Afridi announced his retirement from international cricket last week and vowed not to play under the current PCB set-up.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2011.