Afridi unveils MCA Saudi Premier League Cup trophy

MADINAH — Shahid Afridi, former captain of Pakistan, unveiled the MCA Saudi Premier League Cup trophy at a ceremony here Saturday. Madinah Cricket Association (MCA) is organizing the SPL Cup tournament in association with Jeddah Cricket Association (JCL). My Care and Hala is the sponsor of the tournament. Among supporters are: RCL, MPCL and JPCL. The gathering warmly welcomed the cricket star, who thanked Sameer Nidal, CEO of My Care and Hala, and Syed Zahid Ali, MCA president, to giving him the honor. He promised his all out support to the sport in Saudi Arabia. He applauded the talent of the cricketers in the Kingdom and expressed his belief that Saudi Arab will soon make it to international cricket. Afridi then unveiled and lifted the glittering SPL 2016 trophy with Nidal to thunderous applaud from the audience. The ceremony earlier began with the recitation of a few verses from the Holy Qur’an by Mohammed Abdullah. Hamid Rana, the master of the ceremony, briefed the audience on My Care and Hala’s strategy to help organize and improve the game of cricket in Saudi Arabia. He fondly recalled Afridi’s previous visits to help select players for the Saudi cricket team. Zahid thanked Afridi for making the ceremony historic for the players and the organizers. He also thanked Nidal and Rana for their support to MCA. Among the guests were JCA delegation comprising CEO Mohammed Iqbal, President Ijaz Khan, Director Nidal, Vice President Rana, Haroon Abdullah and Shafiq Hussain, Jizan Premier League President Jan Mohammed and Abdul Jabbar from Yanbu. Ahmed Baker Zaidan thanked MCA for inviting him and giving him an opportunity to speak at the event. He also promised for his backing to MCA in its future endeavors. Among the guests from Madinah were: Dr. Syed Insram Ali, Dr. Mujahid, Farhan Qureishi, Amanat Ali, Mohammed Saleem, Khalid Masood, Zahid Ameen, Rana Abrar, Mohammed Rauf, Chaudhry Masood and Amjad Kiyani, first-class umpire. — SG