Pakistan speedster Shaheen Afridi is just 21-year-old, but has all the ingredients to become a future star for his country. He bowled superbly against arch-rivals India in Dubai where he accounted for the all-important wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and none other than Virat Kohli. Greatness is not something unique that comes to left armers from Pakistan, and Afridi is no exception.
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The game began on bad note for India when Rohit and KL both were dismissed with India’s score reading 6; Afridi played a huge role in here. He removed Rohit with an inch perfect yorker, and then removed KL’s top of off stump with the one that just moved away. Now, he was up against the King himself—Virat Kohli who counter attacked, carving him for a six. This could have been a make-or-break moment for the youngster, but he showed gumption and came back to dismiss India captain with a slower bouncer.
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“Bowl fast, bowl straight, swing it in, aim for the stumps. Uff that late flick of the wrist to put all the action on the ball. KL Rahul is bowled top of middle with that late movement. India 6 for 2 in 2.1 overs,” that’s how ESPN Cricinfo described Afridi’s headline act upfront.
The 21-year-old Pathan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region has shown amazing nonchalance unexpected from youngsters of his generation. A game against arch-rivals India could have moved any other kid from rural Pakistan, but not Afridi who is well into his third year in international cricket. He made his debut against West Indies back in April 2018.
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He first burst into the national scene playing in premier domestic competition Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where he made an instant impact on debut, picking up figures of 8 for 39-best ever by a debutante. His success made sure PSL scouts draft him into the tournamant where figures of five wickets for four runs in a group game for Lahore Qalandars won him a place in the T20I squad against the West Indies. Unlike his peers, Afridi is lanky and can extract sharp bounce from any wicket. Besides, he can nail effective yorkers at will. All in all, he has shown tremendous effectiveness-cum-maturity for such a big stage. Greatness may just be knocking on his doors.
Shaheen Connection With Shahid Afridi?
Talking about greatness, let’s not forget that Shaheen shares a special bond with the senior Afridi as he is set to marry his eldest daughter Aqsa. He also wears jersey number ten which Afridi used to wear during his playing days. “My daughter is engaged to Shaheen, Alhamdulillah. We are not relatives but Shaheen’s family was approaching us for the last two years with the proposal. I asked my daughter and we made the decision together," Shahid was quoted as saying in Pakistan media in May.
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