Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has dismissed the hype around the Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi comparing him with the likes of legendary Wasim Akram in the game. The Left-arm pacer has failed to make an impact for Pakistan so far in the ODI World Cup in India.
Shaheen Afridi has emerged as one of the most endearing bowlers in recent years of international cricket. The left-arm pacer is renowned for his deadly new ball bowling, but he hasn’t been able to help his team in the current ODI World Cup, where the batters have taken him to task.
Speaking on the Star Sports commentary, Ravi Shastri feels that Pakistan has below par bowling attack in the ODI World Cup in the absence of Naseem Shah and lashed out at the talks of hyping Shaheen Afridi similar to former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram and believes that left-arm pacer is a good player but not a great one.
“He is a good bowler, he can claim a wicket with the new ball. But you have to admit it, if Naseem Shah is not playing and the quality of Pakistan’s spin bowling is like this, then Shaheen is not Wasim Akram. He’s a good bowler, but there is no need for us to hype him so highly as well. If a player is simply a good player, we should restrict our praise to saying he is a good player. He’s not a great player, we need to admit that,” Shaheen Afridi said.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, their star bowler, took the wickets of Shubman Gill and captain Rohit Sharma conceding 36 runs in his six overs. By the time he took Rohit’s wicket, the damage had already been done and India’s triumph was beginning to look inevitable, with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer finishing things off for the Indian team inside 31 overs.
The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the world’s best fast bowlers since making his debut. He has emerged as the most established player from the 2018 U-19 World Cup group and has been the leader of Pakistan’s bowling attack in all three formats of the game. The Left-arm pacer will look to turn things around for the team in the remaining games of the World Cup.
