‘Such things should happen more often’ – Former Pakistan allrounder lauds Ben Stokes for his brilliant gesture

England Test skipper Ben Stokes comes with an interesting gesture as England tours Pakistan for the first time in 17 years in Test cricket. Shahid Afridi is one of the former players who applauded Stokes for his brilliant gesture.

Pakistan is hosting England for a three-match test series of the World Test Championship, which began on Thursday. Babar Azam-led Pakistan faced off with the Three Lions in the series opener on November 29, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. 

Stokes tweeted on Monday, November 28, that he will donate his entire match fees from the upcoming Test series to the flood victims in Pakistan. The 20-20 World Cup winner also shared a long note to show solidarity with flood victims on the microblogging site.

“The game has given me a lot in my life and I feel it’s only right to give something back that goes far beyond cricket. I will be donating my match fees from this Test series to the Pakistan Flood appeal. Hopefully, this donation can go towards the rebuilding of areas of Pakistan most affected by the flooding,” Stokes wrote.

Ben Stokes’ gesture was amazing: Shahid Afridi

Fans and former cricketers have appreciated Stokes for this gesture and former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi also talked about this during a discussion on the country’s news channel, Samaa TV.

“I’ve always believed in that. When we went to India for the World Cup, I was there as captain of the side. And I had said that the respect we get from India, we don’t even get that from Pakistan. It was a positive message because of the situation at that time. There were doubts over whether we would travel to India. As an athlete, the whole world watches you. You always want to keep your country’s reputation intact.”

“Ben Stokes’ gesture was amazing, it was a nice message. Such things should happen more often, the players are more friendly now. International players now share the dressing room together,” said Afridi quoted in Hindustan Times.