Shaheen Afridi Expressed He Surprised to See His Bowling Speed
In a press conference this morning, Shaheen Afridi talked about his bowling speed and strategy for the 5-match T20 series against New Zealand.
Shaheen Afridi, the newly-appointed captain for Pakistan in T20 Internationals, talking to the media, Shaheen Afridi expressed surprise at the drop in his bowling speed in the recently held Test series in Australia.
Shaheen said: “I am surprised at the drop in my bowling speed. I used to look at the board after every ball. How can a body that has been bowling at 140 from the start suddenly get to 132/133 but sometimes you can’t bowl at 140kph every ball in test matches, and the body demands time to get into the routine and I’m trying my best to get myself fitter and do well for the team.”
shaheen Afridi expressed good hope for being given the leadership of Pakistan in the T20I and taking the team’s recent performances and upcoming match strategies.
Shaheen said: “First of all, this is a very proud moment for me to lead Pakistan as a captain. As a team, we have been playing very well in T20s. We have played well in the past. But we could not finish well last in the big events, we will try to fix these small mistakes of ours. We have plenty of matches to prepare before the t20 World Cup 2024.“
Shaheen expressed that the team will engage in trials with different player combinations, highlighting the significance of identifying the optimal positions for each player within the team.
Afridi said: “Some young players are making a comeback like Azam Khan, Aamer Jamal, and Sahibzada Farhan and there are some new players like Haseebullah and Abbas Afridi. We are hoping to give them a chance in these five T20Is and upcoming T20I matches ahead of the World Cup.”
During the 17 matches leading up to the World Cup, Afridi stressed the significance of assessing different combinations, while acknowledging Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan’s top opening pair.
Shaheen added: “Babar and Rizwan will always be the best opening pair for Pakistan. I think we have 17 matches before the World Cup, and we should try different combinations and try to figure out which player fits in which position and we will try to play them [in that position].
There might be some changes, or maybe not. But the effort will be to have the team combination ready before the England tour. In the four T20s against England before the T20 World Cup, we should know our best playing XI.”
Shaheen expressed his thoughts on not playing the third Test against Australia due to his fitness.
He added: “I am completely fine. In the first 2 Test matches, I bowled a bit too much and the fatigue was so much that the management and the medical panel gave me a rest to avoid injury.
If you’re leading, you have to lead from the front and I’ll try to make up for the gaps. For me, my country is first. I like test cricket very much and I prefer test cricket first.”
PAK VS NZ T20I Series Full Schedule
| 1st T20I match | 12 JANUARY |
| 2nd T20I match | 14 JANUARY |
| 3rd T20I match | 17 JANUARY |
| 4th T20I match | 19 JANUARY |
| 5th T20I match | 21 JANUARY |
Pakistan Team Full Squad For T20I Series Against New Zeland
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain and wicket-keeper) Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wicket-keeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan
READ MORE: Fakhar Zaman Shares His Thaughts About Batting Order In New Zeland T20I Series
