RIYADH — It was an enthralling moment for all, especially the kids, when they met star cricketer “Boom Boom” Shahid Afridi at the Al-Khozama Banquet Hall. Fans had thronged the venue for a chance to meet or get a glimpse of the Pakistan cricket icon, who was being honored by the Royal Academy of Cricket-Riyadh (RAC). Afridi was in the capital to participate in the RAC talent hunt program. Qadir Mirza (Saudi Fransi Bank), Samir (Saudi Cricket Council – SCC), Rana Hamid (SCC), Dr. Aamir Tarar (RAC), Zahid Raza Khan (Embassy of Pakistan), Ahsan Rizvi (RAC), Mamoor Elahi (Riyadh Cricket League – RCL), Jawad Al-Khalifa (RCL), and Nadeem Babar of RCA were present. Prof. Dr. Mujahid Khan Kaimkhani, Media Manager of RAC, welcomed Afridi to Riyadh. He said it was a historic and momentous moment that Afridi was amongst his fans here. Mirza, meanwhile, described Afridi as a great cricketer who has the records of the fastest 50 and fastest 100 under his belt. He urged all to support Afridi in his mission to build a hospital for the disadvantaged in Jerma — a small village on Peshawar-Kohat road. Jawad Al-Khalifa thanked RAC for inviting him and assured Afridi of his support in his noble mission. Ahsan Rizvi thanked Afridi for his time and advice to the young cricketers during the coaching event organized by RAC. Hamid Rana presented a brief introduction of SCC and said it was a dream come true that the talent hunt program is on. He added that more than 100 young cricketers have been selected. Afridi, in his address, thanked RAC for inviting him and providing him with an opportunity to be with his fans in Riyadh. He congratulated SCC for promoting cricket in the Kingdom. He appreciated the efforts of both SCC and RAC for taking up this talent hunt. “This honest endeavor of yours would bear fruit,” he added. He also made an earnest appeal to all the cricket associations in the Kingdom to shun politics and work as one entity — for the cause of cricket. “The talented cricketers should be given chance on merit alone,” he added. RAC also announced awards of mementos to the following: Khaled Almaeena, Qadir Mirza, Faiz Al-Najdi, Nadeem Nadvi, Abdul Karim Khan, Mamoor Elahi, Patterson, Jaffer, Tariq Javed, and Ms. Asma Tariq, Javed Shamim, Prof. Javed Iqbal, Shahzad Alam Siddiqui, Dr. Zafar Elahi, Jawad Al-Khalifa, Javed Munawwar, Rana Abdul Rauf, Prof. Sultan Ayub Meo, Prof. Ali Al-Tuwaijri, Tariq Mehboob Mir, Aalee Al-Otaibi, and Ms. Neha Azyz. Salman Siddiqui, Operations Manager of RAC, thanked the sponsors — Saudi Fransi Bank, NAS Air, Knowledge Core Academy, and Global Mentor Technologies — for their support.
