Shahid Afridi denies rumours of being critically ill

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi on Wednesday brushed aside reports of being critically ill, after he tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

In a video on his official Facebook page, the former captain revealed that he was isolating at his home.

“I am getting better day by day, thanks to Almighty Allah. I’ve been hearing what people were saying but I want to confirm that I am doing good and will be back to normal life very soon,” said Afridi.

Afridi represented Pakistan between 1998 and 2018, featuring in 27 Tests, 398 One-day Internationals (ODIs) and 99 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

The 40-year-old’s appeal for donations to help people affected by the deadly virus in Pakistan has had overwhelming support from leading cricketers.

Afridi is the fifth cricketer known to have contracted the aforementioned disease.

South African first-class cricketer Solo Nqweni and Pakistan’s former opener Taufeeq Umar also tested positive for the same virus. 

In April, former Pakistan first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfaraz passed away in Peshawar, aged 50, while in March Scotland’s Majid Haq had also revealed that he had tested positive.