AB de Villiers: “He’s a huge player for Pakistan”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
AB de Villiers, the South Africa batting icon, said he knows that left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi is “a huge player for Pakistan.”
Afridi is only 23 years old but has already established himself as the pace spearhead in all three formats.
He is also the go-to man when the men in green need a wicket and he generally provides the breakthrough, which is why he is one of the best pace bowlers in the world right now.
Given how important the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is, De Villiers pointed out that Afridi will be a key player for Pakistan and all eyes will be on him when he has the ball in his hand.
So far, Afridi has taken two wickets in total, with one having come in each of Pakistan’s wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
“He’s a huge player for Pakistan,” the 39-year-old from Pretoria said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Prior to the World Cup, Afridi played in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka and finished with six wickets at an average of 37.33.
He subsequently featured in three ODIs against Afghanistan and claimed six wickets at an average of 16.33.
His latest assignment was the Asia Cup, where he picked up 10 wickets in five matches at an average of 23.50.
Pakistan’s next World Cup match will be against India on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
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