PCB to honour three former skippers in September

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that they will be hosting a ceremony in September to honour three of their former skippers – Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, and Shahid Afridi. Confirming the news, PCB chairman Najam Sethi revealed that the trio had served the country for a long term and, therefore deserves appreciation. He also added that the top players from the national team would also be honoured at the ceremony.

Both Misbah and Younis decided to call an end to their dynamic and illustrious international cricket careers following Pakistan’s 2-1 win over West Indies in the three-match series in May. Misbah, who played 75 Test matches, scoring 5,222 runs, is one of the most successful batsmen from the country. He ranks seventh on the list of Pakistan’s all-time highest Test run-getters. The 42-year-old also ex-skipper also inspired Pakistan to the top of the ICC Test team rankings for the first time ever. However, their stint at the top was short-lived as they lost the spot to arch-rivals India.

Deserve the appreciation

Speaking to the local media, Sethi said, “We plan to arrange a special award ceremony for former captains Misbah ul Haq, Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi. They served Pakistan for a long period and deserve appreciation. We will honour and appreciate our top players and umpires in the same award ceremony to encourage them.”

Younis Khan, on the other hand, became the first Pakistani batsman to score 10000 Test runs. His batting averages at a brilliant 52.05 and is also the best by any player from the country and the third best by any batsman from Asia.

Known for his power hitting, Shahid Afridi hung up his boots from international cricket in February, having played 27 Test matches. The all-rounder notched up a career total of 8,064 runs with the highest individual score of 124 and added 395 wickets to his kitty.