Abdullah Shafique: “Nobody would like to face Shaheen in the nets so I am lucky I don’t have to face him in the match but only in the nets”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Abdullah Shafique, the Pakistan opening batsman, said no one wants to face left-arm speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Afridi is Pakistan’s pace spearhead in all three formats and is capable of bowling at speeds over 150 kph. He also swings the ball both ways and gets extra bounce due to his height.
Shafique played alongside the 23-year-old for the Lahore Qalandars in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and admitted that he was glad he only had to face him in the nets.
“Nobody would like to face Shaheen in the nets so I am lucky I don’t have to face him in the match but only in the nets,” he was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
Shafique, 23, and Afridi have both been picked in Pakistan’s Test team for the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka, which will be held in Galle and Colombo from July 16 to 28.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series:Â 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