KARACHI,  (Reuters) – Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi  was looking forward to resting his aching limbs after returning  home from the World Cup to a heroes’ welcome today.
Afridi, Younus Khan and Asad Shafiq touched down in Karachi,  while the rest of the players and officials flew to Lahore where  the Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and the Pakistan  Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman were present to welcome them.
Despite losing to arch-rivals India in the semi-finals,  Afridi was greeted at the airport by a large number of hollering  fans who chanted “Boom Boom Afridi we love you” and cries of  “Pakistan team has done us proud.”
However, after all their exploits in the tournament, Afridi  wanted a break.
“To lose the semi-final was disappointing but I think now  the time has come for senior players to be rested and new  players to be tried out,” he said.
A PCB source told Reuters earlier in the day that Afridi had  withdrawn from next month’s tour to West Indies as he wanted “a  break from the game”.
Emotional scenes were also witnessed at Lahore airport where  dozens of fans mobbed the players while others danced around.
“The team has done the nation proud by defeating stronger  rivals to reach this semi-final. I hope they continue to perform  like this and bring more laurels for the country,” Sharif said.
He announced a grand reception for the players on April 5 to  celebrate their performance in the World Cup.