Shaheen Afridi raring for comeback in PSL8

The Nation  |  Feb 02, 2023

LAHORE        -       Lanky teenager Shaheen Shah Afridi received international cap from Pakistan legend Wasim Akram at Karachi’s National Bank Cricket Arena at the start of April in 2018. He had showed glimpses of brilliance in the last two months – during what was his maiden HBL PSL season – that catapulted him to the national side.

The highlight was his five-wicket haul at Dubai against Multan Sultans, which saw him become one of the only two bowlers that season to bag five wickets in an innings. Shaheen never looked back from that moment, establishing himself as an all-format bowler for Pakistan and, subsequently, the leader of the Pakistan bowling attack. Such was his utility for Pakistan that before the first Galle Test in which he injured his right knee by landing awkwardly while attempting a dive at the boundary in July last year, he had taken the most wickets (204) behind Australia’s Pat Cummins’ 209 across all three formats with a strike rate of 35.4.

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The fourth morning of that Test, however, put a halt on an ever-progressing career. Shaheen was back in Pakistan colours in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia last year and his bowling form grew proportionally with the matches he played, before a freak twist while completing that famous Harry Brook catch at Melbourne in the final sent him back to rehabilitation. While the sight of Shaheen limping off the field broke millions of Pakistani hearts, it was the beginning of a struggle for a bowler who since his Pakistan debut had done nothing but bowl in heaps. “There were times when I wanted to give up,” Shaheen, who now has checked all the requisites for his return to competitive cricket, tells PCB Digital. “I was working on only one muscle, and it was not improving. Often during the rehabilitation sessions, I used to say to myself ‘this is enough, I cannot do this anymore’.

“But then I used to watch my bowling on YouTube and see how well I had done and that motivated me, and I told myself ‘to push a little more’ … It is frustrating for a fast bowler to miss cricket because of an injury.” While there is no good time to be injured, Shaheen’s had come at a time when Pakistan were scheduled for their biggest home season in over a decade with seven T20Is and three Tests against England followed by two Tests and three ODIs against New Zealand. Shaheen missed all 15 games. “It is tough when you miss your home games because of the injury,” he says. “Before our Test home season, I even missed the seven England T20Is.

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I was more distressed for missing the Tests, because I like Test cricket more. A bowler is measured on how he performs in Test cricket and I wanted to take wickets against England.”

Was there any moment during the 2022-23 home season that made him want to get in the Pakistan colours? “It came when I was watching the [Multan Test] match and our tailenders were not able to finish the game. I wanted to hit a few sixes there and finish the match for Pakistan,” he chuckles. “Also, when they [England] were scoring a lot of runs, I wanted to give my input with the ball.”

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