Shaheen Shah Afridi: “Naseem, Ubaid, Hunain are the future of Pakistan. I really want to see [the] Shah brothers playing together for Pakistan in [the] near future”
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Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has branded pace brothers Naseem Shah, Hunain Shah and Ubaid Shah “the future of Pakistan.”
Naseem, 21, has already cemented his spot in the national team in all three formats, while Hunain, 20, has been impressing at the domestic level.
As for 18-year-old Ubaid, he has been a force to be reckoned with while representing the Pakistan Under-19 team.
He showcased his brilliance during the 2024 Under-19 World Cup, where he finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 18 wickets in six matches at an average of 12.38.
Afridi knows how talented the three brothers are and admitted it would be great to see them “playing together for Pakistan in [the] near future.”
“Naseem, Ubaid, Hunain are the future of Pakistan. I really want to see [the] Shah brothers playing together for Pakistan in [the] near future,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Naseem and Hunain recently played for Islamabad United in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), with the former picking up 15 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 22.20.
Hunain ended up claiming eight wickets in 10 games at an average of 28.12 and an economy rate of 9.50.
As for Hunain, he went wicketless in the two matches he played.
Afridi, meanwhile, captained the Lahore Qalandars and snapped up 14 wickets in nine games at an average of 22.14 and an economy rate of 8.61.
Following PSL 9, Afridi and Naseem represented Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand, with the former taking eight wickets in four games at an average of 10 and an economy rate of 7.38.
Naseem, meanwhile, snapped up two wickets in three matches at an average of 35.50 and an economy rate of 10.14.
In the ongoing three-match T20I series against Ireland, Afridi and Naseem have claimed four and two wickets respectively.
After this series, Pakistan will play four T20Is against England from May 22 to May 30.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan
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