Former Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat has revealed that Sourav Ganguly attended his wedding despite being busy. A member of the 2009 T20 World Cup-winning side, Arafat played 3 ODIs, 3 Tests and 13 T20Is. He did not have a long international career but with Ganguly attending his wedding, it seems like they were good friends.
Speaking to Sports Yaari, Arafat revealed that he invited many cricketers and everyone didn’t come. But Ganguly went to his wedding despite being busy.
“Sourav Ganguly is also very humble. I don’t think many fans would know it, but he even attended my wedding. I had invited many cricketers, but not everyone came. I had requested Sourav and he came. I think he was a little busy that time. Still, he attended my wedding ceremony,” Arafat told Sports Yaari.
Arafat had tied the knot at the Oval Cricket Ground, England, in 2011. He was a regular visitor to the UK as Arafat played for Kent, Lancashire, Somerset, Surrey and Sussex. He also played Australia’s Big Bash League for Perth Scorchers.
In the same interview, Arafat also revealed that Shahrukh Khan had travelled to London to offer him a three-year IPL contract. Shahrukh is the co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The 39-year-old couldn’t ply his trade in IPL as the Pakistani players only played in the inaugural season of the league.
They were available in IPL 2010 auction but none of the franchises bid for them. “I missed the first edition of IPL. Before the second edition, Kolkata Knight Riders sent a special scout for me to England. He was advised to observe my performances. That scout met me and told me that Shah Rukh Khan had been closely following my stats. I did not believe the scout and thought someone was pulling a prank on me. He gave me his card, but I never responded,” Arafat said.
“Then, I got a call from India and they asked why I did not reach out. After realizing it was not a prank, I learned that KKR was set to offer a 3-year contract to me. Shah Rukh Khan called me the next day and said ‘Welcome on board, I want you to play for my team.’ So, he came to London and offered me the contract.”
Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood was the only player who played IPL after IPL 2008. He moved to the UK and played IPL 2012, 2013 and 2015. He represented Punjab Kings (then known as Kings XI Punjab) and KKR.
