Aamer Yamin: “Asif Afridi’s hard work has paid off – he deserves it. If any player is playing regular first-class cricket and performing well, he deserves a place in any format”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan all-rounder Aamer Yamin believes veteran spinner Asif Afridi deserved to be picked for the recent two-Test series against South Africa.
Afridi made his international debut at 38 years old in the 2nd Test in Rawalpindi, where he took six wickets – all of which came in the first innings.
Many people criticised the selection of Afridi due to his age, but Yamin pointed out that he has worked hard for many years in domestic cricket and is now reaping the rewards for all the wickets he has picked up.
“Asif Afridi’s hard work has paid off – he deserves it. If any player is playing regular first-class cricket and performing well, he deserves a place in any format. The ones who criticise are usually those who know nothing about cricket. If they ever stood in the heat out on the ground, they’d understand how cricket is actually played,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
The two-Test series between Pakistan and South Africa ended as a 1-1 draw, while the men in green secured a 2-1 win in both the T20Is and ODIs.
Pakistan are now facing Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series and hold a 1-0 lead going into the 2nd ODI on November 14 in Rawalpindi.
Following this, they will take part in a T20I tri-series with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from November 18 to 29.
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Reserves: Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem