Shaheen Afridi hosts Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe teams for dinner

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan men’s cricket team’s ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi hosted the touring Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe sides for a dinner at a restaurant here on Saturday.

According to the details, the dinner was hosted to honour the two touring sides at the rooftop of a high-end restaurant in the capital. The menu included a range of traditional dishes, which received words of acknowledgement from the players of both Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

The dinner was also attended by both the ODI and T20I squads of Pakistan, who shared light moments with their Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe counterparts. For the unversed, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are currently engaged in a three-match ODI series, which, however, was briefly hit by a wave of uncertainty due to the touring side’s players’ reluctance to continue their white-ball tour, citing security concerns. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister, met the Sri Lankan players in a bid to address their concerns. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) issued an official statement assuring players that comprehensive security arrangements were being made in close coordination with the PCB and local authorities.

Notably, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are currently engaged in a three-match ODI series, led 2-0 by the home side, with the third and final fixture set to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Following the ODI series, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will feature in the T20I tri-series, scheduled to be run from November 18 to 29, with matches scheduled in Rawalpindi and Lahore. Web Desk