Shahid Afridi terminates contract with Sydney Thunder

By Afshan Younis

KARACHI, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) November 19, 2012: Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Khan Afridi has cancelled his contract with the Big Bash League franchise Melbourne Renegade after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allowed him as well as the other two Pakistani cricketers to take part in the KFC Big Bash League 2012.

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Shahid Afridi’s latest decision to refuse the PCB permission to play in the KFC Big Bash League has the potential to put a crack in relations of the PCB authorities and the flamboyant all-rounder who has been in the center of major controversies with the cricket board.

Earlier on Monday, the PCB chairman Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf allowed three Pakistani cricketers Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, and Umar Akmal to participate in the KFC Big Bash League 2012 after receiving a formal request by the Cricket Australia for inclusion of the international cricket stars in its domestic Twenty20 cricket league.

Cricinfo reported Monday that the Pakistani players will leave for Australia after playing in group stages of the local Twenty20 tournament and will miss out on the final phase of the event.

The KFC Big Bash League is swinging into action on December 7 and Pakistani players will have to return home by December 12 when the camp for the tour to India will commence. As per the arrangement, all the three players will be available for only one game to their Big Bash League franchises.