Abbas Afridi: “I keep talking to my uncle Umar Gul and we always discuss different plans. He guides me and we come up with strategies against different batters. I’ve worked very hard on my variations”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan fast bowler Abbas Afridi has confirmed that he keeps talking to his uncle, former seamer Umar Gul, to discusses bowling strategies against different batsmen.
Gul is regarded as one of the finest speedsters Pakistan has produced and Afridi admitted that he makes full use of any opportunity to pick his brain.
The 22-year-old, who is among the fast-rising pace bowlers in the country, noted that he has “worked very hard on my variation”, which has allowed him to be incredibly successful in his career thus far.
“I keep talking to my uncle Umar Gul and we always discuss different plans. He guides me and we come up with strategies against different batters. I’ve worked very hard on my variations,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Farid Khan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Afridi made his international debut in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January 2024 and took five wickets in three games at an average of 16.20 and an economy rate of nine.
Most recently, he was in action for the Multan Sultans in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and claimed 13 wickets in nine matches at an average of 19.07 and an economy rate of 8.55.
Multan Sultans Squad for PSL 9: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Iftikhar Ahmed, David Willey, Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir, Dawid Malan, Abbas Afridi, Reeza Hendricks, Tayyab Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Khan, Mohammad Ali, Faisal Akram, Yasir Khan, Chris Jordan, Aftab Ibrahim, Johnson Charles, Mohammad Shehzad