Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi: “Not every ball can be bowled at a speed of 140, I will make efforts to improve my fitness. I am the captain and will lead from the front”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has insisted that it is impossible for him to bowl every ball at 140 kph.
His comments come after he was criticised for his decrease in pace during the three-Test series against Australia, which the men in green lost 3-0.
While Afridi is aware that he is not bowling as fast as he used to, he plans to work on his fitness in a bid to help rectify the problem.
“Not every ball can be bowled at a speed of 140, I will make efforts to improve my fitness. I am the captain and will lead from the front,” the 23-year-old was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Afridi played in two Tests against Australia and took eight wickets at an average of 41.62.
He then captained Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand and snapped up nine wickets at an average of 19.22 and an economy rate of 8.94.
Afridi’s next assignment will be the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he will captain the Lahore Qalandars.
PSL 9 will be held from February 17 to March 18 in four cities – Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 9: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Haris Rauf, David Wiese, Sikandar Raza, Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan, Mirza Tahir Baig, Rashid Khan (reserved), Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen, Sahibzada Farhan, Muhammad Imran Jnr., Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti, Dan Lawrence (partially available), Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun Mahmood, Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Tayyab Abbas
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