KARACHI: A sense of national duty prevailed over money as flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi, after hitting the jackpot at the auction for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), confirmed that he will miss the Twenty20 tournament and instead turn out for Pakistan against England.
Afridi was sold to the Dhaka franchise for $700,000 – the highest bid for any player in the auction – and would have featured in the tournament to be played from February 9 to 28. However, Afridi, the first choice for all the bidders, expressed his unavailability for the Bangladesh league.
‘I won’t take part in the BPL,” Afridi told The Express Tribune from Australia where the all-rounder is taking part in the Big Bash League.
“It’s clashing with the limited-overs series against England in the UAE and that’s my focus. My preference has always been my national team and I’m looking forward to giving my best against England.”
The experienced cricketer, however, felt honoured to have been sold for the highest amount, adding that he was ‘happy that I’ve been chosen above many famed cricketers’.
Afridi also confirmed that he will not be taking pat in the earlier matches which do not clash with Pakistan’s schedule.
“I’ll utilise those days for training. I can only think about playing in the league when I don’t have national commitments.”
Earlier, the all-rounder also expressed his unavailability for the opening stages of the South Africa domestic Twenty20 competition.
Saeed Ajmal ($100,000), Rana Naved ($100,000) and Imran Nazir ($85,000) were also bought by Dhaka Gladiators. West Indians Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, and Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik ($150,000) were among the other foreign players sold in the auction.
Player Sold for
Shahid Afridi $700,000
Shoaib Malik $150,000
Saeed Ajmal $100,000
Rana Naved $100,000
Sohail Tanvir $100,000
Kamran Akmal $100,000
Abdul Razzaq $100,000
Imran Nazir $85,000
Mohammad Sami $70,000
Fawad Alam $45,000
Qaiser Abbas $25,000
Faisal Iqbal $25,000
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