Mark Waugh: “He’s a guy that other players follow”
Image courtesy of: Unsplash
Former Australia batsman Mark Waugh said Shaheen Shah Afridi commands respect from the other players in the Pakistan team as he constantly performs well and radiates such positive energy.
Despite only being 22 years old, Afridi has already cemented his position as the leader of the pace attack in all three formats.
Many people view him as captain material, especially after he led the Lahore Qalandars to victory in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2022.
“He’s a guy that other players follow,” Waugh was quoted as saying by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) website.
Afridi hasn’t been playing for Pakistan recently as he suffered a knee injury in the 2022 T20 World Cup final.
He missed the three-Test series against England, which Pakistan lost 3-0, and was also not included in the squad for the ongoing two Test matches against New Zealand.
With the first Test having ended as a draw, Pakistan and New Zealand will both have their sights set on winning the series in the second and final Test, which starts on January 2 in Karachi.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood and Zahid Mahmood