Sam Billings: “What struck me is how quickly he picks up the game”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Sam Billings, the England wicketkeeper-batsman, said he was amazed to see how quickly Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi “picks up the game”.
Billings played under Afridi’s captaincy for the Lahore Qalandars in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Despite having the pressure of leading the team, Afridi led them to their second consecutive PSL title and played a key role in the victory as he took 19 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 21.15 and an economy rate of 9.13.
“What struck me is how quickly he picks up the game,” Billings was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Afridi’s most recent assignment was the five-match ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand, where he picked up eight wickets in four games at an average of 24.50.
The 23-year-old is now set to make his Test comeback after being included in Pakistan’s squad for the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in July.
His last Test came back in July 2022 when he injured his knee in a match against Sri Lanka.
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
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