Umar Gul: “If you talk about our pace battery, every bowler has their own unique set of skills. For instance, Shaheen and Naseem have the ability to swing the new ball”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Umar Gul has lavished praise on the Pakistan pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for their “ability to swing the new ball”.
The pair have formed a formidable bowling partnership and regularly take wickets for the men in green.
Recently, both of them were in action during the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, where Afridi picked up six wickets at an average of 37.33.
Naseem, meanwhile, claimed nine wickets at an average of 23.
“If you talk about our pace battery, every bowler has their own unique set of skills. For instance, Shaheen and Naseem have the ability to swing the new ball,” Gul told the Pitch Side show as quoted by Cricwick.
Afridi is currently playing for the Welsh Fire in The Hundred, where he has snapped up six wickets in five matches at an average of 16.33 and an economy rate of 7.35. (UPDATE ACCORDINGLY)
As for Naseem, he is representing the Colombo Strikers in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) and has taken 10 wickets in seven matches at an average of 19.40 and an economy rate of 7.32. (UPDATE ACCORDINGLY)
Both players have been picked for Pakistan’s upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, which will be played in Sri Lanka from August 22 to 26.
After that, Pakistan will feature in the Asia Cup, which will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17.
Pakistan Squad for Afghanistan ODI Series and 2023 Asia Cup:Â Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel (Afghanistan series only), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr