Ravi Shastri: “He’s no big deal. You have to accept the truth”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former India head coach has taken a dig at Pakistan pace bowler and new T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, saying he is “no big deal.”
Shastri doesn’t think Afridi is as good as people say he is and insisted that everyone has to “accept the truth.”
Afridi leads Pakistan’s pace attack in all three formats and is the team’s go-to wicket-taker.
Even though the 23-year-old has delivered epic performances on numerous occasions, Shastri feels that he is overrated.
“He’s no big deal. You have to accept the truth,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Afridi was recently in action for Pakistan in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and took 18 wickets in nine matches, which included a five-wicket haul against Australia, at an average of 26.72.
The men in green began with consecutive wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before going on a four-game losing streak against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Despite bouncing back with victories over Bangladesh and New Zealand, they failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
Pakistan concluded their World Cup campaign on a low as they lost their final group stage game against England by 93 runs.
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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