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Cricket Players‘Don’t indulge in abusive talk’: Shahid Afridi advises young Afghan pacer after heated exchange in LPL
Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi was seen having a heated exchange with young Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq when the sides were shaking hands.
There was a tense moment during the Lanka Premier League (LPL) match between Kandy Tuskers and Galle Gladiators. The sixth match of the tournament was fiercely fought between the two teams but in the end, the Tuskers emerged victorious by 25 runs. But it was what happened after the game finished that made the headlines.
Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi was seen having a heated exchange with young Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq when the sides were shaking hands.
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Earlier in the match, Naveen was seen hurling cuss words at Gladiators bowler Mohammed Amir. A couple of senior Tuskers players, including Munaf Patel, tried to pull out the young Afghan bowler from the scuffle but the latter went on.
After the match, a video uploaded on social media showed Afridi joyously shaking hands with the opposing players until he saw Naveen. Afridi’s expression’s changed quickly as a verbal exchange started between the two.
In reply, the young Afghan pacer reportedly replied disrespectfully which turned Afridi furious. The video of the incident was later shared on the microblogging site, Twitter.
Afridi has commented on Twitter about the incident saying that, “My advise to the young player was simple, play the game and don’t indulge in abusive talk. I have friends in Afghanistan team and we have very cordial relations. Respect for teammates and opponents is the basic spirit of the game.”
Talking about the game, the Kandy Tuskers posted a challenging score of 196 runs in their 20 overs with the help of wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor’s half-century. Kusal Perera scored 27 off 24 and Kamindu Mendis amassed 28 off 16, stitching a 65-run stand with Taylor for the fourth wicket.
In reply, Danushka Gunathilaka played a promising 82-run knock off 53 balls. However, the Gladiators succumbed to their third straight defeat, losing by 25 runs.
