Peshawar Zalmi pay homage to Zubair Ahmed at PSL Auction drafts

The 2018 player auction drafts of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) recently took place at the National Cricket Academy at Lahore. During the event, Javed Afridi, the owner of the Peshawar Zalmi franchise presented a souvenir to the family of late Zubair Ahmed as a mark of tribute. Young boy Zubair Ahmed had died after being hit on the head during one of the local cricket matches in Swabi.

His death sent shockwaves across the country and need to wear proper safety equipments during the game came to the fore. At the event, Mahmood Shah, father of Zubair Ahmed was present. He was accompanied by his another son, Uzair Shah. Javed Afridi was very direct in saying that the Peshawar Zalmi will be raising funds for the family of the deceased. He also remarked that Uzair will get to travel along with the Zalmis in the upcoming season of the PSL.

Peshawar Zalmi are the reigning champions in the tournament at the moment. Javed Afridi posted a series of updates about the same on the social media and expressed his condolences as well. “During #PSLDrafts Peshawar Zalmi remember Young Zubair Ahmed, who lost his life due to hit cricket ball on the head in Swabi. We will support his brother Uzair for his cricketing career InshaAllah! We honoured his father too. Heart touching feelings, can’t express in words,” he wrote in a tweet.

Duirng #PSLDrafts Peshawar Zalmi remember Young Zubair Ahmed who lost his life due to hit Cricket ball on head in swabi. We will support His Brother Uzair for his cricketing career InshaAllah !We honoured his father too. Heart touching feelings ❤️, Can't express in words. pic.twitter.com/zttvMpeyDG

— Javed Afridi (@JAfridi10) November 12, 2017

The auctions

Talking about the auction drafts for PSL 2018, as many as 501 players – both international and domestic players – went under the hammer at the NCA, Lahore. Chris Lynn was the biggest attraction at the auction, whilst T20 giant Chris Gayle went unsold in the drafts. After the auctions, the Zalmi cricketers – Shakib Al Hasan, Darren Sammy, and Tamim Iqbal were all seen sharing tweet messages for the fans in Pashto language.