Babar Azam: “Besides his wicket-taking abilities, his presence always motivates and lifts the side”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain, acknowledged how big of an impact pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has as he not only possesses “wicket-taking abilities”, but also “motivates and lifts the side.”
Afridi is Pakistan’s frontline bowler in all three formats despite only being 23 years old.
He has a knack for striking early with the new ball, which has earned him a reputation as one of the most feared fast bowlers in the world right now.
Knowing how fortunate he is to have a bowler with Afridi’s qualities in his side, Azam praised the talented youngster for always giving it his all.
“Besides his wicket-taking abilities, his presence always motivates and lifts the side,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Afridi has been in solid form lately as he took six wickets in two Tests against Sri Lanka at an average of 37.33.
He then claimed six wickets in three ODIs against Afghanistan at an average of 16.33.
Most recently, he featured in the Asia Cup and finished with 10 wickets in five games at an average of 23.50.
Pakistan started their campaign with a 238-run win over Nepal before sharing one point apiece with India as their match was rained off.
Having qualified for the Super Four stage, the men in green went on to beat Bangladesh by seven wickets.
However, things began to go wrong from here as India obliterated them by 228 runs.
Still in with a chance to make it to the Asia Cup final, Pakistan failed to get the job done as they lost to Sri Lanka by two wickets via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS) method.
The men in green will now feature in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India, which will start on October 5.
Pakistan’s opening game will be against the Netherlands on October 6 in Hyderabad.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali
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