April 25, 2008	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 18, 1429

HYDERABAD, April 24: Cheerleaders during the Indian Premier League matches may have added glitz and glamour to cricket but Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi is not amused.

The explosive hitter wants the IPL organisers to remove the cheerleaders. “The girls in skimpy dresses should be removed from the ground as this is distracting for the batsmen,” he said.

”Cricket itself is an entertainment. It does not require such cheerleaders to entertain,” said Afridi, who played his first IPL match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday.

Afridi could score only two runs as his team Deccan Chargers lost to Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets. This was his team’s second defeat in a row. Afridi had missed his team’s first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.

Two teams of cheerleaders were standing on specially erected platforms on either side of the ground, dancing to every run scored by Deccan Chargers’ batsmen. They were also seen dancing to the hit Hindi film numbers.—Agencies