Shaheen Shah Afridi, a left-arm pacer for Pakistan, has struggled to perform to his normal level during the current ODI World Cup in India. His bowling speed also looks to have decreased substantially, raising questions about his match fitness for the competition.
Former cricket players speculate that Pakistan’s primary pacer’s form in the ODI World Cup may be hampered by an injury. According to team sources, Shaheen Afridi is in excellent health and is ready to demonstrate his superb traditional bowling in the match against India and argued that Shaheen’s issues are not severe enough to prevent him from playing in the tournament.
The left-arm pacer struggled to pick up wickets with the new ball in the game against Netherlands and Sri Lanka, which eventually proved to be costly for the team in the marquee event. Shaheen Shah Afridi had a forgettable outing in the first two games failing to make an impact for the side.
According to team sources, Shaheen Afridi suffered pressure to his finger during fielding in the Asia Cup match against India in Colombo, which resulted in some swelling. But now there is no more discomfort.
Shaheen frequently takes wickets in the first few overs of a match and he looked a little frustrated that he didn’t get any wickets in the first few overs and will hopefully turn things around in the mega clash in Ahmedabad.
The primary bowlers for Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Shadab Khan, played poorly in the first two games due to intense pressure and their inability to contribute to the team put the team under tremendous pressure and the Men in Green bowlers will try to improve in their upcoming match against archrival India on October 14.
In the previous game against Sri Lanka, the Pakistan side made a comeback after a shaky start, and Abdullah Shafique playing in just his sixth ODI game, displayed surprising maturity in the game alongside Mohammad Rizwan, which helped Pakistan to make a comeback in the game and chase the highest target in the ODI World Cup history.
The Men in Green visited India previously in 2016 during the T20 World Cup and arrived in India for the first time in seven years.
The Babar Azam-led side have started the tournament on a good note winning two out of their two encounters and they will look to overcome their poor record against India in the ODI World Cup to win their first game against India in the marquee event.
