Saqlain Mushtaq: “He is passionate and a warrior, he is a game-changer and a strong believer, he is focused and mighty dedicated. Allah bless you and keep rising and shining Shaheen Shah Afridi. Keep holding our flag high”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Saqlain Mushtaq, the legendary Pakistan spinner, has acknowledged the impact left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi has, calling him a “game-changer” and a “warrior.”
Afridi is Pakistan’s pace spearhead in all three formats despite only being 23 years old.
Since making his international debut in 2018, he has developed a habit of taking wickets with the new ball and providing breakthroughs at crucial times for the men in green.
Considering the huge amount of talent Afridi has, Mushtaq wants to see him get better and win more matches for Pakistan in the future.
“He is passionate and a warrior, he is a game-changer and a strong believer, he is focused and mighty dedicated. Allah bless you and keep rising and shining Shaheen Shah Afridi. Keep holding our flag high,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Afridi recently took six wickets in two Tests against Sri Lanka at an average of 37.33.
He then proceeded to claim six wickets in Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against Afghanistan at an average of 16.33.
Most recently, he was involved in the Asia Cup and finished with 10 wickets in five games at an average of 23.50.
Pakistan began their campaign with an impressive 238-run win over Nepal before sharing one point apiece with India as their match was rained off.
Despite this, they made it through to the Super Fours and beat Bangladesh by seven wickets.
However, things didn’t go according to plan from this point on as Pakistan lost to India by 228 runs.
They still had a chance to get into the Asia Cup final, but failed to get the job done as Sri Lanka defeated them by two wickets via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS) method.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zaman Khan.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir
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