Ramiz Raja: “Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan are two superstars of Pakistan cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja said left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi and leg-spinner Shadab Khan are “two superstars of Pakistan cricket.”
Afridi is one of first-choice fast bowlers in all three formats and has a knack of taking early wickets, especially in the first over.
As for Shadab, he has long been the men in green’s go-to spinner despite only being 25 years old.
“Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan are two superstars of Pakistan cricket,” Ramiz was quoted as saying by journalist Farid Khan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Both Afridi and Shadab were recently involved in Pakistan’s 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.
Shadab, meanwhile, claimed three wickets in five matches at an average of 18 and an economy rate of 6.75.
In the three-match T20I series against Ireland that followed, Shadab went wicketless in the one game he played while Afridi picked up seven wickets in three matches at an average of 12.71 and an economy rate of 7.41.
Currently, the men in green are involved in a four-match T20I series against England, which is level at 0-0 after the first game was rained off.
Following this, they will be involved in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will take place in the West Indies and United States of America from June 1 to 29.
Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup game will be against the United States of America in Dallas on June 6.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series:Â 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
Pakistan Squad for 2024 T20 World Cup:Â Babar Azam (capt), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
I am afraid, I do not fully agree with Ramiz Raja’s views. Shadab is no longer a penetrative leg spinner. By paying attention to his batting he has lost his sting with the ball. He can only be brought into the pkaing XI as a lower order hard hitting batsman.