Shaheen Shah Afridi: “I want to grab every opportunity to wear the Pakistan colours regardless of any format. I try my best to produce performances to help Pakistan as a team player and that’s the ambition”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi has insisted that he wants to keep representing his country in all three formats going forward and won’t be prioritising white-ball cricket.
This comes after Afridi took exceptional figures of 6-19 in Hampshire’s Vitality Blast match against Middlesex on Sunday, which included him claiming four wickets in four balls. He became just the seventh men’s cricketer to achieve that remarkable feat in T20 cricket.
In addition to his ambition of wanting to “try my best to produce performances to help Pakistan”, the 20-year-old also highlighted fitness as an important area where he hopes to keep improving.
“I am focusing on all formats,” Afridi was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “I am working hard, learning with every game, evolving as a fast bowler, and eventually I want to play for my country [regularly]. It’s a pride. I want to grab every opportunity to wear the Pakistan colours regardless of any format. I try my best to produce performances to help Pakistan as a team player and that’s the ambition.
“The idea is to stay vigilant with my fitness and the fitter I am, more I am going to play for Pakistan in all formats. I am keeping short goals, but maintaining fitness is something that is very important because that is what my whole cricket is going to rely on. Test cricket is tough – especially in the opponent’s conditions – but I am trying to have full control over my game. So red-ball cricket is very much in the mind and it’s not going anywhere.”
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