Legendary Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi on Friday was revealed as the latest ambassador for the T20 World Cup by the International Cricket Council (ICC). (More Cricket News)
Afridi, a part of the 2009 World T20 winning Pakistani team, joins an illustrious list of legends who have been appointed as the ambassadors for the big ticket event set to take place in the West Indies and the USA.
India's legendary allrounder Yuvraj Singh, arguably the greatest T20 player of all time Chris Gayle and the fastest man in the world Usain Bolt have already been appointed as ambassadors for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Reacting to the development, Afridi said that the T20 World Cup was very close to his heart.
“The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is an event that is very close to my heart. From being Player of the Tournament in the inaugural edition to lifting the trophy in 2009, some of my favourite career highlights have come from competing on this stage.
“T20 World Cups have gone from strength to strength in recent years, and I’m thrilled to be part of this edition, where we will see more teams, more matches and even more drama than ever before."
Afridi also said that he was looking to forward to the India-Pakistan clash set to take place on 9 June in New York.
“I am particularly excited to witness the India v Pakistan fixture on 9 June. It is one of the great rivalries in sport and New York will be a fitting stage for this unmissable encounter between two great teams.”
Afridi played a crucial role in Pakistan's T20 World Cup winning campaign in 2009. He was the second highest run-getter for his country with 176 runs, made at a strike-rate of 140. The Pakistan legend scored half-centuries in both the semifinal and final and was the Player of the Match in both those games.
