Stuart Broad calls Shaheen Afridi his favourite bowler

Recently retired England pace bowler Stuart Broad showered praise on Pakistan’s premier fast bowler Shaheen Afridi’s bowling action and termed him one of his favourite bowlers.

Talking to Sky Sports, Broad said, “Shaheen Shah Afridi is one of my favourite bowlers to watch in the world. He’s got such a presence about him when he runs in, and I love to see bowlers run in with energy and vibrancy to their run up.”

He further praised Shaheen for his impressive bowling skills, “He’s got such a natural skill — the way that ball swings back into the right-handers is such a pleasure to watch,”

Stuart Broad recently retired from international cricket at the end of Ashes 2023, with 604 wickets in 167 test matches.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, who represented Stuart Broad’s home county side, Notts Outlaws in this year’s T20 Blast, made his presence felt with his all-round abilities.

The left-arm pacer picked up 21 wickets in 13 matches during his T20 Blast stint. He also made notable contributions with the bat for the Outlaws, whose journey ended after a five-wicket defeat against eventual champions Somerset in the quarter-final.

“And he represented the Notts Outlaws this summer, which is close to my heart. He’s one of the bowlers I admire hugely, and I want to see him do well,” Broad added.

Shaheen Afridi is playing for Welsh Fire in the ongoing The Hundred and has set the league on fire with his fiery pace bowling. He picked three wickets in two games. Shaheen’s team will face Oval Invincibles tomorrow.

The Hundred started on August 1, and the final is set to take place on August 27 at Lord’s. Trent Rockets are defending champions, having won the final in 2022 by defeating Manchester Originals by two wickets.

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Stuart Broad becomes second pacer to take 600 Test wickets

MANCHESTER: Stuart Broad on Wednesday became only the second pacer to amass 600 Test wickets during the fourth Ashes Test against Australia on Wednesday.

Right-arm pacer Broad achieved the milestone when he removed Australia’s Travis Head in the 50th over of Australia’s first innings.

He started the fourth Ashes Test with 598 Test wickets to his name but soon moved to 599 when he removed Usman Khawaja lbw before getting Head caught by Joe Root at the boundary.

“Never in my dreams did I think this would be a thing,” said Broad.

“Michael Vaughan was the skipper that gave me my first cap and my ultimate feeling there in Sri Lanka was never that this was the end game but instead that I wanted to win series and create memories.

“Some players feel like they have achieved what they wanted to after getting a Test cap and I’ve been fortunate enough to create memories. Never did I think I would be up there with the greats of the game.”

Notably, Stuart Broad is only the second pacer to take 600 wickets in Test cricket. His countrymate James Anderson was the first quick to achieve this feat.

Broad is now fifth on the list of highest wicket-taker while Anderson sits well at third.

Sri Lanka’s legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan tops the list with 800 wickets, followed by Shane Warne (708), James Anderson (688) and Anil India’s Anil Kumble (619).

Stuart Broad, 37, is the highest wicket-taker in the ongoing Ashes series with 18 wickets and has performed consistently well for England.

Broad’s 600 wickets have come at an average of 27.57 and consist of 20 five-wicket and three 10-wicket hauls. He has the most number of wickets against Australia (149) in 39 matches.

Australia are currently leading the Ashes 2-1, having won the first two Tests before England made a comeback at Headingley to keep the series alive.

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