Lahore, Mar 25 (IANS): Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is earning praise from all quarters, including his yesteryear on-field rival Harbhajan Singh for donating disinfectant soap, material and food to the needy as the world battles with the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, Afridi tweeted some pictures in which he was seen donating essential items to people. "Day 3 of serving the needy: packs containing disinfectant soap, material, food and a sheet on preventative measures to take to avoid the contraction and spread of coronavirus were included, with advice to stay at home. Let's pull together & serve others too #DonateKaroNa #HopeNotOut," he had tweeted.

On Wednesday, Harbhajan praised Afridi's gesture and said: "Great work for humanity Shahid Afridi. May god bless us all... more power to you... praying for world's wellbeing…Nanak naam chardikala tere bhaane sarbat da bhala."

The former Pakistan skipper expressed gratitude to Harbhajan and replied: "Humanity is bigger than anything! Thank you Bhajji for your kind words. The world needs to unite, it is our collective responsibility to help the poor and needy in every way possible in the global fight against COVID-19."

According to The Dawn, close to 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported so far in Pakistan and seven lives have been lost.

Earlier, former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar also urged people to help each other rising above religion and economic status during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Akhtar said it is time for people to think about others, "time to be a human, not Hindu, Muslim. People will have to help each other, collect funds."