Tag: Shaheen Afridi

Pakistan’s ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi commented on his heart-breaking injury in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final against England and pointed at the possibility of Pakistan triumphing had he not been injured.

In the enthralling T20 World Cup final, Pakistan, batting first, set England to chase a mere 138 on a tricky Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) surface, which was making it difficult for the batters to score freely.

Pakistan’s pace attack, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, showcased determination not to let England run away with an easy victory as they rattled their top-order and restricted them to 45/3 in the sixth over.

Following the early setback, Ben Stokes and Harry Brook launched England’s recovery as the pair anchored the run chase with a crucial partnership.

Pakistan were in dire need of a breakthrough and they got it; courtesy of Shadab Khan, who deceived Brook with a loopy delivery outside off and the latter fired it straight to long-off where Shaheen Shah Afridi dove forward to gobble it.

The breakthrough, instead of a success, turned into a massive blow for the green shirts as they lost the services of their ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who hurt his injured knee in the process.

Shaheen then walked off the field briefly, returned to roars and raced in to bowl the 16th with England still requiring a tough 41 from 30 balls, but pulled up after one ball.

Ben Stokes then smashed a four and six off Iftikhar Ahmed, who was given the ball to complete the 16th, and it was over for Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi has finally opened up on the heartbreaking incident in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo and also opined that Pakistan may have won if he did not get injured in such a clutch situation.

“And in this tournament [2022], if I didn’t get injured at such a crucial moment, maybe we could’ve won. Maybe if I had stayed fit and bowled…” he trails off. “Injuries can happen at any time,” said Shaheen.

The left-arm pacer also recalled the thrashing, he received from Matthew Wade in the previous edition, which ultimately steered Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title.

“Obviously, it’s every player’s dream to win a World Cup for his country and I still remember 2021, how that ended,” he said.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, however, shared that he is trying to forget the past in order to be able to move forward.

“If I think too much about them then I won’t be able to move ahead,” Shaheen stated.

The left-arm pacer also responded to a question regarding a dip in his bowling speed post-injury and termed taking wickets more important than the pace.

“Everyone has a view about it [the pace], but I’ve been feeling good. You look at yourself, even if you are bowling 110kmph and taking wickets, you’re feeling good. I took wickets. I gave 100% in the field, that matters more. Speed doesn’t matter as much but if there has been a dip, it will improve with time.

“[I was injured] two months out before the [T20] World Cup, two-three months after the [T20] World Cup also. So it will of course take time to get back. That match energy or fitness, you only get it from playing matches. Since the PSL I’ve been feeling better, I got better through it and then played internationals for Pakistan as well. With time I’ll improve and the more I play the more I’ll improve.”

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LAHORE: Pakistan’s white-ball squad celebrated the birthday of their ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi ahead of their upcoming home T20I and ODI series against New Zealand.

The national team on Friday took part in an extensive training session before throwing a birthday party for their leading pacer Shaheen, who turned 23 on Thursday.

In a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the players can be seen watching the highlights of Shaheen’s wickets in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Haris recorded video messages for Shaheen’s birthday and wished the latter.

“A very happy birthday from my side. Stay blessed, happy and keep making Pakistan proud,” stated Babar in his video message.

Shaheen then cut his customised birthday cake with an eagle printed on it and celebrated with his teammates.

Pakistan’s ace pacer Shaheen will be making his return to the national colours after a five-month hiatus as the left-arm pacer sustained a gruelling injury to his right knee while diving to take Harry Brook’s catch in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final against England.

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Nottinghamshire on Thursday announced the signing of Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi for their Vitality Blast 2023 campaign. 

Taking to Twitter, Nottinghamshire welcomed the star Pakistan seamer to the Notts Outlaws for the upcoming T20 Blast season.

BREAKING | 🇵🇰 speedster @iShaheenAfridi signs for the 2023 @VitalityBlast.

Full details ▶️ https://t.co/EptegVwJ2q#TheEagleHasLanded pic.twitter.com/0O8OtRynQP

— Nottinghamshire CCC (@TrentBridge) March 30, 2023

The 22-year-old recently led Lahore Qalandars to their second consecutive PSL title and became the only captain in the tournament’s history to defend the championship.

He was also signed by the Welsh Fire for £100,000 in the recently-held the Hundred draft for the third edition of the league.

“In Shaheen, we’ve got a world class player – which is really exciting – and a player with a point of difference with the ball, which is crucial when we are looking to recruit,” said Nottingham head coach Peter Moores.

Moores called Afridi a ‘box-office-player’ who would help Nott Laws to bounce back in the tournament after missing out on qualification for the knockout stages last season.

“We want to bounce back from last year’s campaign, and this signing invigorates the club; he makes impacts in big games, and is a box office player. Alongside Munro, who is one of the top run-scorers in the history of the format, we’ve got two very unique talents, both of whom will play a big role for us as we look to bring back silverware,” he added.

Shaheen is the second overseas signing of the club after top-order batter Colin Munro.

“Notts play an aggressive brand of cricket, which suits me well,” said Shaheen in a media statement by the club.

“They’ve had great success in recent years and the likes of Alex Hales, Colin Munro and Joe Clarke are players I have faced up against in recent years and been impressed by.”

“The goal is obviously to influence games to make the team as successful as possible. Having played at Trent Bridge, I know it is a fast-scoring ground and as a bowler you need to get your line and lengths right, but you also get the rewards when you do that.” he concluded.

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LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars’ skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi has been named captain of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8 Team of the Tournament. 

Pakistan Cricket Board on Sunday revealed the team of the PSL 8, selected by an independent panel that was headed by Haroon Rashid (Chairman of PSL 8 Technical Committee) and also included respected commentators Bazid Khan, Daren Ganga, Nick Knight and Sana Mir as members.

While selecting the side, the independent panel considered a number of T20 cricket aspects, including consistency, impact on the side and overall game, and best possible team combination so that this team can take on any T20 side on any given day at any venue in any conditions.

Shaheen Shah Afridi inspired Lahore Qalandars to finish on top of the points table with seven wins, then helped his side to bounce back from a Multan Sultans drubbing in the Qualifier by overcoming Peshawar Zalmi in Eliminator 2, and, finally slapped a 15-ball 44 not out and took four for 51 to not only walk away with the player of the final award but also guided his side to their second successive HBL PSL title.

Since the concept of Team of HBL PSL was introduced in 2019, this is the fourth successive year Shaheen Shah Afridi has made it to exclusive side.

The side also includes Multan Sultans’ Emerging Category players Abbas Afridi and Ihsanullah, who won the Emerging and Player of HBL PSL 8 awards, respectively.

Like the Multan duo, it is also the first time for Mohammad Haris and Azam Khan be selected in the team of the tournament.

Overall, the side includes five players from losing finalists Multan Sultans, two players each from Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi, and one player each from Islamabad United and Karachi Kings.

Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have been selected as openers, with Mohammad Haris, Rilee Rossouw, Azam Khan and Kieron Pollard forming a formidable middle-order. Imad Wasim, who has been picked in the Team of HBL PSL for the first time, comes in as an all-rounder, followed by wrist spinner Rashid Khan and three fast bowlers in Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ihsanullah and Abbas Afridi.

This is the fourth time in five years Babar has been selected as an opener, though first time with his Pakistan team partner Mohammad Rizwan, who himself has been chosen in the team of the tournament for the third successive time.

Team of HBL PSL 8 (in batting order)

1. Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans) (550 runs, 1×100, 4×50, strike-rate 142.85)
2. Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) (522 runs, 1×100, 5×50, strike-rate 145.40)
3. Mohammad Haris (Peshawar Zalmi) (350 runs, 2×50, strike-rate 186.17)
4. Rilee Rossouw* (Multan Sultans) (453 runs, 1×100, 3×50, strike-rate 171.59)
5. Azam Khan (Islamabad United) (282 runs, 2×50, strike-rate 161.14)
6. Kieron Pollard* (Multan Sultans) (260 runs, 2×50, strike-rate 163.52; 3 wickets, 8.62 eco.)
7. Imad Wasim (Karachi Kings) (404 runs, 3×50, strike-rate 170.46; 9 wickets, 7.93 eco.)
8. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars) (captain) (133 runs, strike-rate 168.35; 19 wickets, 9.13 eco.)
9. Rashid Khan* (Lahore Qalandars) (20 wickets, 6.53 eco.)
10. Abbas Afridi (Multan Sultans) (23 wickets, 9.45 eco.)
11. Ihsanullah (Multan Sultans) (22 wickets, 7.59 eco.)
12. Saim Ayub (Peshawar Zalmi) (341 runs, 5×50, 165.53)

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LONDON: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and a host of other top-performing T20I players from Pakistan have signed up for the upcoming draft of ‘the Hundred’ – England’s first of its sort league. 

A total of 57 players – international as well as local – from Pakistan registered themselves for the draft, which will take place on March 23. Apart from Babar and Shaheen, the list also includes Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Fakhar Zaman, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Diana Baig to name a few.

According to the ‘the Hundred’ media release, a total of 881 players from 28 countries will be up for grabs ahead of the third year of the competition. The women’s competition is to stage a draft for the first time.

Moreover, 113 players were retained by their respective franchises across the men’s and women’s tournaments, which means The Hundred Draft and the open market process in the women’s competition will fill up a further 135 spots.

Among the other standout names hoping to earn a slot in this year’s season include India’s Harmanpreet Kaur, Ben Duckett, Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Sarah Glenn, Reece Topley and Kate Cross from England, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, West Indies’ Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi.

Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult from New Zealand, and  Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Grace Harris and Amanda-Jade Wellington from Australia will also be in contention for the spots. South Africa’s Anrich Nortje, Dane van Niekerk and Shabnim Ismail are also included on this list.

The tournament will kick off at Trent Bridge on August 1 with a double-header between Trent Rockets and Southern Brave – the first of 68 games across the third year of The Hundred.

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LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Afridi has revealed his plans to get the crucial wicket of Babar Azam in his side’s first home game in the Pakistan Super League season 8 against Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday. 

Pace spearhead Shaheen said he would bowl his signature yorker deliveries to the  Peshawar Zalmi captain and try to get an early breakthrough for the side in his face-off against Babar.

“Babar is a world-class player and he is everyone’s favourite. I mentioned this earlier as well, I enjoy bowling him in the nets,” he said in a scheduled press conference in Lahore on Saturday.

“Babar and Rizwan are the players whom I enjoy bowling to, but it’s a challenge too. It’s not easy. Even coaches are giving an example of Babar’s cover drive while teaching. Of course, we will plan for him and do well” he said

When asked if he had his yorkers loaded for the Peshawar Zalmi captain, Shaheen replied in affirmation and said: “As a player and a captain, I will try to give my team an early breakthrough. This is what I try to do, not only in franchise cricket but in the Pakistan team too. You will get to see a good competition,”

Qalandars’ captain, however, debunked the perception that his side was reliant solely on Harry Brook in the batting and with his absence it turned fragile.

“We already knew that Brook won’t be able to play this season. He is doing a great job for  England in New Zealand” he said  ”

“I don’t think we are weak in any department. We scored 190+ in the last game. Of course, it’s cricket, you have to improve a lot of things.

When asked why Abdullah Shafique was yet not given a chance despite being an integral part of the Qalandars’ PSL winning team in PSL 7, Shaheen disclosed he was not feeling well and might get a chance keeping the team combination in consideration.

“I personally like him [Abdullah Shafique]. He is the second classy batter after Babar Azam. He wasn’t feeling well due to flu but he is feeling better now and batting in the nets. Our opening partnership is doing well, we will look at our combination before making a decision [about his inclusion in the squad],” he concluded.

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KARACHI: Pakistan’s ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi on Friday, tied the knot with star all-rounder Shahid Afridi’s daughter Ansha Afridi in a close ceremony here.

According to the details, the nikkah ceremony was held at a local club here, which was attended by captain Babar Azam, national cricketers and close relatives.

With Shaheen starting the new innings of his life, his fellow cricketers flocked in to congratulate the left-arm pacer.

 

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Taking to Twitter, Pakistan’s wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan shared a video of himself congratulating Shaheen.

“Prayers for you my baby brother [Shaheen Afridi] May you and your wife be the source of happiness and joy for each other, Ameen,” wrote Rizwan.

Prayers for you my baby brother @iShaheenAfridi. May you and your wife be the source of happiness and joy for each other, Ameen. #ShaheenShahAfridi pic.twitter.com/VL7Wp7x6uR

— Muhammad Rizwan (@iMRizwanPak) February 3, 2023

Meanwhile, another wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Haris also congratulated the pacer on his Nikkah.

“More amazing news. Congratulations [Shaheen Afridi] bhai on your Nikkah,” he wrote.

More amazing news. Congratulations @iShaheenAfridi bhai on your Nikkah today❤️

— Muhammad Haris (@iamharis63) February 3, 2023

Earlier, the pictures of the national cricketer’s wedding venue also went viral on social media.

It is pertinent to mention that Shaheen and Ansha exchanged the rings two years ago.

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LAHORE: Pakistan star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi revealed his journey to attain complete fitness, saying at times he had felt like giving up the efforts during a long rehabilitation program that he underwent following his knee injury in November last year.  

Shaheen, who is now completely fit to return to competitive cricket, will lead defending champions Lahore Qalandar in the upcoming edition of the PSL 8, which will be his first major assignment after the rehabilitation.

The left-arm pacer suffered multiple episodes of a knee injury last year. He was first left out of action between July and October after picking up the injury during the Sri Lanka Test tour while his latest discomfort came in the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup on November 13.

“There were times when I wanted to give up,” Shaheen told PCB Digital. “I was working on only one muscle and it was not improving. Often during the rehabilitation sessions, I used to say to myself ‘this is enough, I cannot do this anymore.”

“But then I used to watch my bowling on YouTube and see how well I had done and that motivated me and I told myself ‘to push a little more’ … It is frustrating for a fast bowler to miss cricket because of an injury.”

While there is no good time to be injured, Shaheen’s had come at a time when Pakistan were scheduled for their biggest home season in over a decade with seven T20Is and three Tests against England followed by two Tests and three One-Day Internationals against New Zealand. Shaheen missed all 15 games.

“It is tough when you miss your home games because of the injury,” he says. “Before our Test home season, I even missed the seven England T20Is. I was more distressed for missing the Tests, because I like Test cricket more. A bowler is measured on how he performs in Test cricket and I wanted to take wickets against England.”

When asked was there any moment during the 2022-23 home season that made him want to get in the Pakistan colours, the lanky pacer replied: “It came when I was watching the [Multan Test] match and our tailenders were not able to finish the game. I wanted to hit a few sixes there and finish the match for Pakistan,” he chuckles. “Also, when they [England] were scoring a lot of runs, I wanted to give my input with the ball.”

Shaheen made sure to remain in touch with the bowlers. “It is tough to switch from the white ball cricket to red ball cricket as the demands of the Test format are totally different from the limited overs. I was in touch with the boys over phone. Naseem bowls really quick and mentally he is very sharp and understands he needs to be done. I used to speak with Haris Rauf daily. I remained in touch with our other bowlers as well, who played in the Tests.”

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LAHORE: Pakistan spearhead pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has hoped that he will make his return to the field shortly after making significant progress during his rehabilitation program at the National High Performace Centre in Lahore. 

The left-arm pacer has been undergoing rehabilitation after he landed awkwardly and sustained knee discomfort in the final of the recently-concluded T20 World Cup. Due to his injury, he was also left out of the 18-member squad for the ongoing three-match Test series against England.

“I am feeling much better now and doing gym training and cycling,” he said in a video shared by Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday. “I am hoping to hit the field again soon.”

Upbeat and on the road to recovery 🏃@iShaheenAfridi continues his rehabilitation at NHPC, Lahore. pic.twitter.com/oBsbApxU2x

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 8, 2022

Shaheen’s return to international cricket will be subject to the successful completion of his rehabilitation programme and the subsequent approval by the PCB medical staff.

Moreover, the 22-year-old fast bowler asked the Pakistan cricket fans to continue their support for the national team during the ongoing Test series.

It is worth mentioning here Pakistan are currently trailing the historic Test series by 0-1 after they failed to chase 343 runs on a batting surface following England’s bold declaration in the opening Test. The second Test between the two sides is set to kick off tomorrow in Multan.

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KARACHI: Pakistan ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi on Sunday revealed that he underwent an appendectomy ahead of the home Test series against England, scheduled to commence on December 1.

Shaheen, who had been advised two weeks of rehabilitation in light of his knee injury, which he sustained in the recently-concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Final, has now undergone appendix surgery in a local hospital.

Taking to Twitter, the left-arm pacer shared a picture of himself resting on a hospital bed and informed about his surgery, while also urging his fans to pray for his speedy recovery.

“Had an appendectomy today but Alhumdulillah feeling better. Remember me in your prayers,” wrote Shaheen.

Had an appendectomy today but Alhumdulillah feeling better. Remember me in your prayers. 🤲 pic.twitter.com/M70HWwl9Cn

— Shaheen Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) November 20, 2022

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will lock horns with England in a three-match home Test series from December 1 to 21.

Consequently, England’s Test squad for the tour is anticipated to land in the country on November 27, while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to announce the squad for the series.

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