West Indian Sammy to be made honorary Pak citizen

lahore, february 23

Pakistan will confer honorary citizenship on former West Indies captain Darren Sammy for his “invaluable contribution” towards the return of top-flight cricket to the country, Pakistan Cricket Board said.

Pakistan successfully hosted two Tests against Sri Lanka in December 2019. These were their first home Tests since a militant attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus in Lahore in 2009 that killed six security personnel and two civilians and wounded six Sri Lankan players.

While the international cricket community stayed away from travelling to Pakistan following the attack, Sammy has been a regular member of the Peshawar Zalmi side in the Pakistan Super League since its start in 2016.

The 36-year-old St. Lucian captained the franchise to the PSL title in the second edition in 2017 and often advocated for the return of international cricket to the country. Sammy’s last match for West Indies was the final of the T20 World Cup in 2016, when he led the Caribbean side to the trophy against England at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

Pakistan President Arif Alvi will also confer the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the country’s top civilian award, on Sammy on March 23. — Reuters