Shahid Afridi: “I have seen his batting, and I felt very confident about him. He has played some fantastic innings. He’s a player who knows how to handle pressure, mentally strong, quite senior, and has played a lot of cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic Pakistan six-hitter Shahid Afridi said he is “very confident” about spin-bowling all-rounder Imad Wasim’s batting.
Imad has shown time and time again that he can score runs in the lower order, whether that be through rotating the strike or unleashing big shots.
Afridi added that the 34-year-old “knows how to handle pressure” and has a lot of international experience, making him an ideal candidate for the ODI team.
Imad last played ODI cricket in November 2020, but made his T20I comeback in April 2023.
“I have seen his batting, and I felt very confident about him. He has played some fantastic innings. He’s a player who knows how to handle pressure, mentally strong, quite senior, and has played a lot of cricket,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Most recently, Imad featured in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and claimed 14 wickets in 11 matches for the Jamaica Tallawahs at an average of 19.71 and an economy rate of 7.16.
He also made solid contributions with the bat, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer with 313 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 39.12 and a strike-rate of 129.87.
The left-arm spinner was not included in Pakistan’s team for the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, where they have had a disastrous campaign.
Things looked good early on as the men in green won their first two matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
However, everything fell apart after that as they lost to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Pakistan are now in a dire situation and will be eager to pick up a massive win when they face Bangladesh on October 31 in Kolkata.
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