September 21, 2023
The valima reception of Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who wedded former captain Shahid Afridi's daughter Ansha Afridi on Tuesday, was held in Islamabad on Thursday night.
The couple's nikah was solemnised earlier this year, while Ansha's Rukhsati (seeing-off ceremony) took place on September 19 in Karachi.
Shaheen was dressed in an all-black three-piece suit with the same coloured shirt, as traditionally worn by Pakistani grooms on their valima receptions. However, pictures of the bride were not shared as the family maintained strict privacy.
Shahid Afridi was also seen wearing a black coat-pants with a white shirt.
Apart from being the star pacer's valima, the event garnered significant attention due to the participation of various social and cricket-related personalities.
Videos and pictures from the event showed Shaheen's teammates Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq. Other individuals from the cricketers fraternity, such as Lahore Qalandars' Atif Rana, Sameen Rana and Aqib Javed, also came to convey their best wishes to the newlyweds.
In addition to the aforementioned cricketing luminaries, young pacer Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan added to the festivities with their warm wishes and congratulatory messages.
The couple's wedding celebrations have been the talk of the town and this reception served as a grand follow-up to their union.
The wedding festivities started with a mehndi ceremony on Monday.
Shaheen tied the knot with Ansha in February when their nikkah was solemnised at a local mosque in Karachi in the presence of close relatives of both families.
The couple’s engagement had already taken place two years ago.
Earlier this year, while speaking on the Geo News show, the left-armer had revealed that it was his wish to marry Ansha.
"It was my wish and Alhumdulillah [thanks to Allah Almighty] it is fulfilled now," a blushing Shaheen had told the interviewer.
When Shaheen was asked whether Ansha feels jealous about his female fan following, the star pacer had said he was not sure about it.
"I am not sure, maybe she feels something like that," the cricketer had quipped.
Further, the host had asked Shaheen about upsetting plenty of female fans by getting engaged at an early age.
At this, Shaheen said: "I found my heart and that's enough for me."