Tag: Shaheen Afridi

LONDON: Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is representing Middlesex in the ongoing County Championship 2022, claimed that the representation of Pakistani players will also benefit the team.

Shaheen, in an interview on the eve of Middlesex’s County Championship match against Leicestershire at Lord’s, commented about the participation of Pakistani players in the tournament and claimed it will benefit Pakistan cricket.

“I think, this year, I saw like nine or 10 players here and that’s good for Pakistan cricket,” he said.

The left-arm pacer also heaped praises on his fellow teammates, saying they are performing really well and that too is good for Pakistan cricket.

“Actually, that’s a good sign for Pakistan cricket — the top cricketers are here. They are performing really well, Hasan and Shan, and everyone performed really well — Haris — so it’s good for Pakistan cricket as well,” he said.

“I think playing anywhere in the world and playing in different conditions always improves your game,” he added.

Shaheen further admitted that Pakistan, despite being a regular visitor of England since the conclusion of the ICC 2019 Cricket World Cup, has ‘underperformed’.

“We did not play good cricket here as a team, so now I think the top guys are all there. So maybe it will be good for us [to get to know] the conditions and the pitches. Maybe this will help the national team as well,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the high-profile Pakistani contingent features former pacer Mohammad Amir, alongside Shaheen’s fellow internationals Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Abbas, and some others.

READ: WATCH: Hasan Ali takes two wickets in an over in County Championship

CARDIFF: Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is representing Middlesex in the ongoing County Championship 2022, has taken two wickets in two balls against Glamorgan, here on Thursday.

In a video shared by County Championship, the left-arm speedster can be seen taking his first county wicket including his second on the next ball.

In his side’s first fixture of the 2022 championship against Glamorgan, Shaheen dismissed top-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Sam Northeast on consecutive balls in the ninth over.

“So close for Shaheen Afridi. He is on a hat-trick…but Carlson survives the hat-trick ball,” the County Championship wrote.

So close for Shaheen Afridi 😳

He is on a hat-trick…but Carlson survives the hat-trick ball 😯#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/9X8k1m16JQ

— Rothesay County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 21, 2022

It is pertinent to mention here that Glamorgan are in trouble on the first day of the ongoing match as the side have lost six wickets for a mere 51 in the first innings.

READ: Alcaraz outpowers Kwon in the second round of Barcelona Open

LAHORE: Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the first ODI after sustaining an injury during the team’s scheduled practice session yesterday.

Shaheen, who sustained an injury after being hit in the nets while batting, has not been cleared to play the first ODI against Australia. The left-arm pacer was under observation after sustaining the injury.

Whereas, leg-spinner Zahid Mehmood and right-arm quick Mohammad Wasim Jr are making their ODI debut for Pakistan today.

READ: West Indies to tour Pakistan in June for ODI series

LAHORE: Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi heaped praises on young speedster Naseem Shah, said he is the future of Pakistan.

Shaheen, while talking to a virtual press conference praised Naseem’s bowling abilities and termed him as the future of Pakistan cricket.

“Naseem is a very promising bowler. I think he is the future of Pakistan,” he said.

“We have supported each other throughout the innings and the way he bowled was outstanding,” he added.

Shaheen then opined about the pitch and the playing conditions of the ongoing Test said it is challenging to bowl here.

“It is not that easy to bowl according to the pitch and the conditions. However, we are trying our best to stick to our plan,” he said.

“We are getting reverse swing on this pitch but not getting much help from the new ball,” he added.

The left-arm pacer also commented about Australia’s performance with the bat and claimed their two partnerships turned out to be good for them, however, claimed that the home side bowled decently.

“Two partnerships turned out to be important for them but I think we bowled with quite a discipline,” he concluded.

The young pacer then went on to expressed his desire to win the ongoing third Test, said we will do every bit to win this match.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan have scored 90/1 at the stumps on day two, in response to Australia’s 391.

READ: Abdullah, Azhar stand solid as Pakistan get to 90/1 at the stumps

KARACHI: Pakistan’s right-arm pacer – Hasan Ali revealed in an interview that he and Shaheen Shah Afridi cried after he dropped the catch of Australia’s Matthew Wade in the 2021 T20 World Cup Semifinal.

In an interview, the pacer opened up for the first time about the incident, revealing that he cried after that incident and was also joined by Shaheen following the dropped catch.

“After the match, I was crying and so was Shaheen; it was an extremely sad moment,” said Hasan.

Hasan also revealed that he ‘wasn’t able to sleep for days’, also termed it as the tough phase of his career.

“It was the tough moment of my career and it was quite difficult for me to forget. I haven’t revealed this to anyone until now but I didn’t sleep for two days, my wife was with me and she was tense as I was not sleeping,” he said.

Hasan further disclosed that the pacer received immense support and motivation from Shoaib Malik and also from social media.

“Shoaib bhai came to me and told me that you are a tiger and that I shouldn’t fall. In addition to that, I also received a lot of support on social media which helped me ease through the pain,” he said.

He went on to say that he was gutted following that costly dropped catch but he decided to move on while travelling to Bangladesh briefly after Pakistan’s exit from the mega event.

“I was quiet and sitting at the side as the dropped catch was appearing in my mind continuously but while travelling to Bangladesh I told myself that I should move on,” he said.

Hasan also added that the 27-years-old pacer does not take the matches lightly and always tries to perform for Pakistan.

It is worth mentioning here that, following that dropped catch from Hasan, Wade smashed three consecutive sixes to Shaheen and powered his side to the victory which also booked a final berth for the Kangaroos.

READ: ‘Made Zero sense to me’ Alex Hales on England cancelling Pakistan tour

DUBAI: Left-arm pacer – Shaheen Shah Afridi became the first Pakistani to win the Sir Garfield Sobber’ Trophy for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricketer of the Year Award, here on Monday.

Taking to Twitter, the cricket council announced Shaheen as the Cricketer of the Year Award winner.

“Sizzling spells, (a) sheer display of pace and swing and some magical moments. Shaheen Afridi was unstoppable in 2021,” the ICC wrote.

Sizzling spells, sheer display of pace and swing and some magical moments ✨

Shaheen Afridi was unstoppable in 2021 💥

More 👉 https://t.co/XsTeXTPTZl pic.twitter.com/oE3y3H2ZXB

— ICC (@ICC) January 24, 2022

 

The pacer bagged 78 wickets in 36 international matches at an astonishing average of 22.20 with the best bowling figures of 6/51.

ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan, England’s Joe Root, and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson were nominated by the ICC for the award.

Earlier, Pakistan’s captain and the top-ranked white ball batter – Babar Azam also won the ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year Award.

READ: Babar Azam wins ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year Award

KARACHI: Karachi Kings’ skipper and his Lahore Qalandars’ counterpart – Shaheen Afridi are eager to extend their competition into the upcoming seventh edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Babar and Shaheen will come face to face twice in this season. The first encounter will take place on January 30 in Karachi, when the Kings take on the Qalandars, while the second match will take place on February 18 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Babar heaped praises on Shaheen’s bowling ability and said it is going to be an exciting battle.

“Facing Shaheen is always a thrilling proposition as he asks a lot of questions. His searing pace, ability to bring the ball back, and guileful variations keep a batter judging. He has a passion to learn and, over the years, has developed this phenomenal ability to adapt to conditions quickly,” Babar said.

“It will be tough, but an exciting battle and I look forward to facing Shaheen once again. I am sure, the fans are also eagerly awaiting it,” Babar concluded.

Shaheen, on the other hand, termed Babar as a tough batter to deal with, however, said he is excited for the battle in front of Karachi and Lahore’s crowd.

“Babar is a tough batter and his solid technique tests you whenever and wherever you bowl at him. Wearing a soft smile on his face, he will dispatch you to the boundary in every part of the ground and nullify all your plans,” Shaheen said.

“The battle with Babar will be an interesting one in front of both Karachi and Lahore crowds. I will be enjoying it for sure and I hope the fans will also have fun watching it,” Shaheen concluded.

Babar and Shaheen have come face to face on numerous occasions. Babar has scored 69 runs off Shaheen’s 43 deliveries, including 12 boundaries. Whereas, Shaheen managed to dismiss the top-ranked T20I batter once.

READ: Haseebullah Khan goes past Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam

LAHORE: Pakistan’s premium fast-bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi termed Mohammad Rizwan, a better captain than Pakistan’s current skipper, Babar Azam.

In the press conference, where Shaheen officially named the captain of Lahore Qalandars, a Pakistan Super League franchise, shared his opinions about the captaincy skills of the two batters.

Shaheen lauded the current skipper, Babar; acknowledging his batting and captaincy skills, while he later shared that he likes the captaincy skills of Rizwan more.

“My favorite batter is Babar, who is also the number one (ODI) batter. He has done an outstanding job as captain of the national team, and we are reaching new heights under his leadership,” he said.

“I appreciate Rizwan’s demeanor, and I started playing for KPK under his captaincy in the domestic circuit. I would place him first, but since Babar is doing such a great job with the national team, I would rank him second,” he concluded.

READ: Shaheen Afridi named Lahore Qalandars’ captain for PSL 7

LAHORE: Pakistan’s premium fast bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi named the new captain of Lahore Qalandars for the upcoming season of Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Chief Executive Officer of the Qalandars, Atif Rana announced the appointment of the pacer as the new captain for the side.

Franchise’s Director, Aqib Javed was also present at the time of the announcement.

Taking to Twitter, Shaheen showcased his gratitude for the appointment.

“What a humbling journey, Alhumdulillah! It’s a huge honor to captain the Qalandars – the most popular franchise of the PSL,” he wrote.

Shaheen also thanked the franchise management for the opportunity, he is hopeful for winning the first title for the Qalandars.

What a humbling journey, Alhumdulillah!

It's a huge honor to Captain @lahoreqalandars – the most popular franchise of @thePSLt20.

We'll play together as a team and win both hearts and the trophy iA Thanks @sameenrana ,@atifnaeemrana & @AJavedOfficial bhai for the opportunity. pic.twitter.com/dPihe8hCNM

— Shaheen Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) December 20, 2021

Shaheen has represented the franchise in three seasons, and will now be leading the side in the upcoming PSL 7.

READ: PSL allows franchises to pick additional supplementary players

CHITTAGONG: Pakistan’s leading test wicket-taker this year – Shaheen Shah Afridi reviewed his performance on day-three of the opening Test against Bangladesh.

Pakistan’s left-handed pacer, Afridi in an interview, said he and his bowling partner Hasan Ali had partnered strongly to take early wickets of the opponents.

“Hasan and I were continuously sharing the plan with each other. ‘Who will go for wickets and who will put pressure on the opposition’ that was the plan we were talking about,” he shared.

“He backed me a lot and it helped me take wickets. Our focus is to try and help Pakistan win this match,” Afridi said.

It must be noted here that Afridi is currently the leading Test wicket taker in calendar year 2021. The has so far taken five wickets in the ongoing test match against Bangladesh.

READ: Bowler’s day at Chittagong as Bangladesh takes the lead in first test