Recently retired England seamer Stuart Broad revealed that Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi is one of his favourite bowlers to watch. The 37-year-old reflected that Afridi’s run-up is extremely special to watch.
The left-arm pacer wreaked havoc on his debut in The Hundred this year as he snared two wickets in the first two balls of the innings for Welsh Fire against the Manchester Originals. The Welsh Fire speedster got Phil Salt with a trademark inswinger and Laurie Evans with a yorker.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Broad remarked:
“Shaheen Shah Afridi is one of my favourite bowlers to watch in the world. He has got such a great presence about him when he runs in, and I love bowlers run in with energy and vibrancy to their run up.”
The 167-Test veteran also observed that his skill is quite natural and wishes to see him produce the same exploits for Nottinghamshire outlaws. He added:
“He has got such a natural skill – the way that ball swings back into the right-handers is such a pleasure to watch. 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.”
The match saw the 23-year-old produce figures of 10-3-24-2 as Fire beat the Originals by nine runs despite a late assault from Jos Buttler.
Shaheen Afridi to spearhead Pakistan’s bowling unit in the 2023 World Cup
Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi will hope to stay fit and firing for this year’s Asia Cup and 50-over World Cup. The youngster will look forward most to showcasing his skills in the high-voltage India-Pakistan World Cup clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, hoping to arrest his side’s losing streak against the Men in Blue in 50-over World Cups.
The 23-year-old left-arm pacer played a vital role in Pakistan’s 10-wicket win against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup, bagging figures of 4-0-31-3, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul.