Shahid Afridi says it wasn't easy to convince his father to let him play cricket

In Pakistan, it's no secret that we take school grades very seriously.

And while academic achievements are important, we sometimes forget that there's more to life and success than just your report card.

Shahid Afridi recently took to Twitter to share a personal story about how he stuck to his passion for cricket and convinced his father to let him pursue the sport:

In the video, Afridi says, "When I first started playing cricket, things were a bit difficult for me. My father was against my playing cricket and I was scolded and beaten quite a lot."

However, things changed when his father read about his first stellar performance in an under-16 tournament, where the reporter lavished Afridi with praise for taking five wickets in the match.

"My father saw my photo and read the praise written about me. I saw the look of joy on my father's face and was comforted knowing that my family will finally support my dream to play cricket. I realised this was the time to prove myself. It was a big change in my life."

Singer Shehzad Roy, who is also the CEO of Zindagi Trust, thanked Afridi for sharing his inspirational story:

Earlier, Fahad Mustafa had also shared his story about how he realised his true potential:

And Shehzad Roy too had a story to share:

Zindagi Trust's #MoreThanMyMarks was launched in March with the aim of encouraging a holistic perspective towards children's achievements.