Shahid Afridi: “Regarding Fakhar Zaman, let’s ensure we maximise the potential of this talented match-winner”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic Pakistan six-hitter Shahid Afridi has urged the selectors to “maximise the potential” of big-hitting batsman Fakhar Zaman as he is a “talented match-winner”.
Afridi’s comments come after Zaman lost his central contract for the 2024/25 season and was dropped from the team for the limited overs series against Australia and Zimbabwe.
It is understood that all this occurred after the 34-year-old expressed his support for Babar Azam after the elite batsman was removed from the Test team midway through Pakistan’s three-match series against England.
Afridi doesn’t want to see Zaman’s skills go to waste as he knows the Mardan native “has the power to lead us to victory in matches, series and tournaments”.
“Regarding Fakhar Zaman, let’s ensure we maximise the potential of this talented match-winner. It’s crucial to engage with him and leverage his abilities at this prime stage of his career. He has the power to lead us to victory in matches, series and tournaments,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan recently concluded their tour of Australia and won the ODI leg 2-1, which earned them their first ODI series win in the country since 2002.
As for the T20I series, the men in green failed to come out on top as they were whitewashed 3-0.
Pakistan are now playing an ODI series against Zimbabwe, which is tied at 1-1 going into the third match on November 28 in Bulawayo.
After the ODIs, they will face each other in a three-match T20I series, which gets underway on December 1 in Bulawayo.
Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe ODI Series: Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir
Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe T20I Series: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan
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