Shaheen Shah Afridi: “Naeem is a special talent and has worked very hard”

Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani

Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has called up-and-coming batsman Mohammad Naeem a “special talent”.

Afridi’s praise for Naeem comes after he played alongside him while captaining the Lahore Qalandars in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The 26-year-old was one of the standout performers in PSL 10 as he accumulated 314 runs in 12 games, which included three fifties, at an average of 26.16 and a strike-rate of 162.69.

“Naeem is a special talent and has worked very hard,” Afridi was quoted as saying by ARY News.

After the Qalandars won PSL 10, both Afridi and Naeem failed to make the cut for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, which the men in green won 3-0.

They also weren’t picked for the tour of Bangladesh, where Pakistan lost the T20I series 2-1.

After missing those assignments, Afridi made his comeback in the T20I series against the West Indies and took two wickets in two matches at an average of 29 and an economy rate of 7.25.

He then featured in the three-match ODI series and claimed four wickets in two games at an average of 21.50.

Following their tour of the West Indies, Pakistan went up against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in a T20I tri-series in Sharjah, which they won.

Afridi was picked for four matches during that tournament and ended up with four wickets at an average of 19.50 and an economy rate of 5.57.

The men in green are now featuring in the 2025 Asia Cup, which is being held in the UAE.

In two games, Afridi has snapped up one wicket at an average of 43 and an economy rate of 7.16.

However, he did impress with the bat against India as he hammered an unbeaten 33 off 16 balls, which included four sixes.

Pakistan began their Asia Cup campaign with a 93-run win over Oman before losing to India by seven wickets.

Their next match will be against the UAE on September 17 in Dubai.

Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem

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