Taxi driver enjoys meal with Pakistan players in Brisbane

BRISBANE: Five Pakistan cricketers including Yasir Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah treated an Indian cab driver at a restaurant in Brisbane back on Friday, after the latter refused to accept any fare from them as he is himself a fan of the sport.

On the fourth day of the first Test between Pakistan and Australia at the Gabba, in a conversation with former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson, ABC radio presenter Alison Mitchell narrated the heartwarming story of the Pakistan players and the taxi driver.

She met the driver on Sunday morning when she took a ride to the stadium ahead of play. “When the cabbie got to know we are headed to the stadium, he asked us are you watching or working. When we told him we work in the commentary, he got very excited,” she said.

Moments later, the driver showed her a photo of himself on his phone at a restaurant along with members of the Pakistan cricket team. “Turns out, a couple of days ago, he was called to the Pakistan cricket team hotel. He picked up five of the Pakistan players,” she continued.

“And he is a cricket fan, so he was naturally excited to have them in the taxi and they wanted to go to an Indian restaurant for a meal. He drove them to the restaurant and when they got out he said it’s on me.”

The cricketers, including the trio of bowlers that featured in the first Test, then showed their gratitude by asking the driver to join them for dinner. Australia drew first blood in the series after defeating Pakistan by an innings and 5 runs in Brisbane on Sunday.