Shaheen Afridi makes history by becoming first Pakistani to join UAE’s T20 league on three-year contract

• Afridi asks his fans to support Desert Vipers in the next ILT20 tournament after being invited by the team to join
• Pakistan’s Azam Khan also got invitation from the T20 league last year but could not secure permission from PCB

ISLAMABAD: Left-arm bowling sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi has etched his name in history as the first player from Pakistan to sign a three-year contract with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) International League T20 (ILT20), according to an official announcement on Monday.

The ILT20 is a professional Twenty20 cricket league which was founded last year and sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board.

The tournament is played among six teams, one of them being Desert Vipers which Afridi has joined.

“I am excited to join the Desert Vipers,” the Pakistani player said in a short video clip on X messaging platform. “I know there are many Pakistan cricket fans in the UAE and I hope they will support our team in the upcoming ILT20.”

According to ESPN Cricinfo, the ILT20 team invited a hard-hitting Pakistani batter Azam Khan to join the league last year, but he could not secure permission from his country’s cricket board.

It added that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) “softened its stance on allowing players to participate in various T20 leagues” under the new chairman Zaka Ashraf, making it possible for Afridi to take up the offer.