Jason Gillespie: “If Shaheen Afridi can get it right, then he could cause some real trouble”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Australia pace bowler Jason Gillespie believes Australian batsmen could struggle against Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi if he swings the ball.
Afridi has gained a reputation as one of the best new ball bowlers in the world as he regularly unleashes unplayable deliveries that get him wickets.
Gillespie noted that if the 24-year-old can do this consistently in Australian conditions while moving the ball around, “he could cause some real trouble.”
“He’s an aggressive bowler and his bowling is suited to Australian conditions. If he can get the ball to swing, if there’s one thing that Australian batsmen, over the years, have probably struggled with at times is really good, genuine swing bowling. If Shaheen Afridi can get it right, then he could cause some real trouble,” the 48-year-old, who could potentially become head coach of Pakistan’s Test team, told PakPassion.
Afridi recently captained the Lahore Qalandars in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and claimed 14 wickets in nine matches at an average of 22.14 and an economy rate of 8.61.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a five-match T20I series against New Zealand in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan
Non-travelling reserves: Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha