views
Pakistan cricket team had to suffer a huge blow ahead of the Asia Cup after their ace fast bowler Shaheen Afridi was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury. Former India cricketer Saba Karim has now labeled Shaheen as the ‘biggest match winner’. Saba feels that Shaheen’s absence will undoubtedly benefit the Men in Blue. Eternal rivals India and Pakistan are scheduled to face each other at the Asia Cup on August 28 at the Dubai International Stadium.
Saba, during an interaction with India News Sports, opened up on multiple aspects of the electrifying India-Pakistan clash. Saba feels that the Pakistan cricket team will lose its balance as they will not get the services of Shaheen at the Asia Cup.
“Shaheen Afridi is the biggest match-winner. Pakistan will feel his absence. The Pakistan team will lose their balance after the absence of Afridi. It will surely benefit India. The Men in Blue are going with complete preparation," the 54-year-old former wicketkeeper-batter explained.
Shaheen suffered a knee injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle last month. The Pakistan speedster will not only miss the seven-match T20I series against England but he is also uncertain for the T20 World Cup slated to be played in Australia later this year.
Shaheen was in sensational form during the last T20 World Cup encounter against India. He picked up three wickets in the match as India registered 151 runs. Shaheen had dismantled the Indian top-order after dismissing big names like KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The Rohit Sharma-led side eventually had to suffer a humiliating 10-wicket defeat in that fixture.
The 22-year-old pacer recently posted a photo of the Pakistan cricket team on Twitter and wrote, “Every player of our playing 11 is a match-winner. Wishing my team the best of luck for upcoming Asia Cup. To the fans, keep me in your prayers for my quick recovery. I’ll be back soon."
Every player of our playing 11 is a match winner. Wishing my team the best of luck for upcoming Asia Cup. To the fans, keep me in your prayers for my quick recovery. I'll be back soon Inshallah pic.twitter.com/jW9gGpWWQX
— Shaheen Shah Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) August 20, 2022
Team India, on the other hand, will also not have Jasprit Bumrah and veteran pacer Mohammad Shami in the Asia Cup. Bumrah was ruled out of the 15-member Asia Cup squad due to a back injury. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh are the three designated pacers present in the 15-member Asia Cup squad.
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here
Comments
0 comment