Daily Times

KARACHI: Pakistan’s legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi has come to the aid of cricketer, Mir Murtaza, who hails from the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Murtaza hails from the Anantang region in Kashmir and came to Pakistan through the Wagah Border and made his way to Karachi. He stayed at Shahid Afridi’s residence and received training along with tips from the Pakistan great. He remained in Pakistan for three months before returning to his homeland. Afridi praised the talented cricketer while claiming that he would love to help the youngster in the future as well. “Mir Murtaza is a talented cricketer. I am available for any cricketer in the world. I would welcome anyone who wants to learn from me. If Mir Murtaza wants to learn more in the future, I would teach him everything I know. I could also help him get the best coaching he requires,” said Afridi while speaking to a local news channel.

“Mir Murtaza was the first Kashmiri to come from Occupied Kashmir and arrive at my house. He was a big fan. He is a very good boy. He has worked really hard. I hope he is successful in his passion,” he added. Murtaza stated that Afridi’s advice and training had been very beneficial for him while claiming that he would like to learn more from the charismatic former all-rounder. “I would love to learn more from Shahid Afridi in the future. The things I have learned have been very beneficial for me,” Murtaza said.

Meanwhile, the Lahore Qalandars’ Director Cricket Atif Naeem Rana has also welcomed Mir Murtaza and claimed that, once the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic subsides, they will reach out to the Kashmir-based player to come and train at the Lahore High Performance center. “Lahore Qalandars have always worked for youngsters by giving them a platform regardless of their place of residence. We created a ‘Pardesi Qalandars’ initiative through which Mir Murtaza arrived in Pakistan. He had talent which needed to be groomed. We have now created a high performance center for such individuals. Definitely, when the situation normalises we will invite these talented individuals to help them in the best of our capabilities,” Rana said.