Naseem Shah’s excellence can help Pakistan cover absence of Shaheen Afridi – Babar Azam

29.08.2022 - 08:37 thenationalnews.com

Babar Azam is confident Naseem Shah will suffer no lasting effects of the cramp which saw him hobble from the field at the end of Pakistan’s loss to India in the Asia Cup on Sunday night.

Pakistan’s captain also reckons the lionhearted teenager can help make up for the absence of Shaheen Afridi in the tournament in the UAE.

The 19-year-old fast bowler made an eye-catching start to life in T20 international cricket, as he fired out KL Rahul for a golden duck at the Dubai International Stadium.

Thanks to his efforts, Pakistan made a plucky defence of a total of 147 which always seemed under par. The toil took its toll on the young quick.

cricket bowling Shaheen Afridi Asia Cup Uae India Dubai Hong Kong Pakistan

Pakistan captain Babar Azam was the cynosure of all eyes until recently as he was in the middle or purple patch in white-ball cricket that saw him get a lot of good scores under his belt in consecutive matches. Most of these came on Pakistani soil and that led to lot of former cricketers calling for him to be added to the list of top international batters. His rankings across all formats is also very high.

"Unfortunate Controversy": PCB Chief On Pakistan Great's Claims On Shaheen Afridi

After Shahid Afridi's statement that pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is paying for his own rehabilitation in England and is staying in the country on his own money, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ramiz Raja came out to deny that the board had "disowned" the star player. He said that it is unthinkable that the PCB would not take care of Shaheen and called it an "unfortunate controversy". Shaheen, who has been named in Pakistan's T20 World Cup squad, left the team from UAE to go to England for treatment and recovery for a knee injury he had suffered during the Test series against Sri Lanka.

Ex South Africa Opener Suggests How Babar Azam Can Improve Strike Rate

Watch: Naseem Shah Jaffa Sends Stump Flying, Kusal Mendis Falls For Golden Duck In Asia Cup Final

Pakistan and Sri Lanka are currently squaring off in the Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Stadium. After winnings the toss, Pakistan captain Babar Azam elected to bowl. Star pacer Naseem Shah and all-rounder Shadab Khan were recalled to the playing XI after sitting out the Super 4 game against the same team. Naseem, who has been in top form in the Asia Cup, announced his return in style as he dismissed Sri Lanka opener Kusal Mendis in the first over.

"Don't Know About Any Urvashi": Naseem Shah's Hilarious Response To Question On Bollywood Actor

Some days back, Bollywood actor Urvashi Rautela had shared an Instagram reel featuring Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah. In the video, Rautela could be seen enjoying the India-Pakistan match on September 4 and there were some glimpses of Naseem Shah in the video shared by her with Atif Aslam's 'Koi Tujhko Na Mujhse Chura Le' playing in the background. Soon after, she deleted the clip, but users made sure that it went viral.

Naseem Shah sends Pakistan to Asia Cup final as Afghanistan and India crash out

Naseem Shah peeled off two successive sixes off the first two balls of the final over as Pakistan broke Afghanistan’s hearts in Sharjah.