Shai Hope: “I think that like I told Shaheen and the other guys, it’s nice to be behind the stumps for once instead of facing him for the first over”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shai Hope, the West Indies ODI captain, said he is glad he didn’t have to face Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Hope played under Afridi’s captaincy for the Lahore Qalandars, who ended up winning PSL 8.
Instead of being one of the many opposition batsmen who have to survive Afridi’s deadly bowling spells, which will see them face deliveries that swing at speeds of 150 kph, the 29-year-old from Barbados was the Qalandars’ wicketkeeper.
“It’s nice to be behind the stump this time, instead of being in front of it. I always embrace the challenge whenever I face these guys, but it’s nice to be in the same dressing room with them. They really have some fire behind them. So, it’s great to be playing together with them,” he told Geo News.
“It’s good to be on the winning side, obviously, I think that like I told Shaheen and the other guys, it’s nice to be behind the stumps for once instead of facing him for the first over.”
Afridi will now represent Pakistan during their tour of Sri Lanka, which will consist of two Test matches that will be played from July 16 to 28.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood