Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has offered his perspective on the challenge posed by Pakistan’s left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi. Ganguly emphasized that although Afridi is a formidable bowler, he is not invincible. Ganguly stressed that batsmen at the international level should expect to face such high-quality bowlers and should prepare accordingly.
In the 2021 T20 World Cup match held in Dubai, Shaheen Afridi’s impressive three-wicket performance earned him the Player of the Match title as Pakistan secured a convincing 10-wicket victory over India. During the match, Afridi successfully dismissed key Indian players including Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli, contributing to India’s total score of 151/7.
However, it’s worth noting that in a previous encounter between the arch-rivals during the T20 World Cup the year prior, held in Melbourne, Afridi remained wicketless. It’s important to consider that he was nursing an injury at the time.
In an interview on the show “Backstage with Boria” by Revsportz, Ganguly expressed his thoughts on the potential threat posed by Shaheen Afridi in upcoming matches between India and Pakistan, such as in the Asia Cup and the World Cup.
“He’s a great bowler, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play him. At this level of international cricket, every side will have two such bowlers. Pakistan has Afridi and Naseem Shah, Australia has Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, while New Zealand has a couple. However, India has the batters to handle them,” he conveyed.
Shaheen Afridi, an influential figure in the world of cricket, has left a remarkable impact as a pace bowler. His impressive records include 27 Test matches, 40 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 52 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). During these matches, Afridi showcased his skills by securing 105 Test wickets, 78 ODI wickets, and 64 T20I wickets.