Shaheen Afridi has signed with Desert Vipers for the second season of the UAE’s ILT20 and will become the first Pakistani player to play in the league when it takes place in January next year. He has joined on a three-year contract.
Last year, Vipers had signed Azam Khan, which would have made him the first Pakistan player in the ILT20, but the PCB eventually did not grant him the no-objection certificate to play in the league.
Since making his T20I debut in 2018, Shaheen has excelled in all forms. He received The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, the largest ICC yearly honor given to a cricket player, last year after being named the ICC Player of the Year.
“Shaheen is a player of world-class calibre who has had a significant impact not only for Pakistan but for every team he’s played for in recent times. He offers a huge amount as an impact pace bowler that has destroyed many, many top-orders and he also boasts terrific leadership skills that will add a huge amount of value to the Desert Vipers moving forward,” Vipers director of cricket Tom Moody said.
His total number of wickets for the international stage is 239 (105 Tests, 70 ODIs, and 64 T20Is). Shaheen, a 23-year-old T20 bowler, has a tremendous propensity for picking up wickets early in his spells; to date, he has 42 first-over wickets.
The fast bowler who has made a stunning impression around the world with his pacy left-arm deliveries (229 wickets in 161 T20s).
“I Am Excited To Join The Desert Vipers”- Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen’s addition enhances the value and caliber of the DP World ILT20’s already stellar T20 star lineup. The six franchises have been successful in keeping hold of some of the top players on the international T20 circuit, such as top run-getter Alex Hales (Green Belt winner) and top wicket-taker Chris Jordan (White Belt winner) from the previous season.
“I am excited to join the Desert Vipers. I know there are many Pakistan cricket fans in the UAE, and I hope they will support our team in the upcoming DP World ILT20,” said Shaheen Afridi.
With the season scheduled to begin on January 13, Afridi will join the group after returning from Australia after the New Year’s Test in Sydney. Afridi will join a bowling attack that already has Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana, Tom Curran, and Sheldon Cottrell among others.
It's a plane ✈️
It's a bird ?
It's ??????? ???? ?????? ?Brace yourselves, the ?? sensation is now loading in ❤️? #DesertVipers #ShaheenShahAfridi pic.twitter.com/68NGCcYHBK
— Desert Vipers (@TheDesertVipers) August 14, 2023
The full list of new signings for Season 2 will be unveiled in the next few days, the tournament is scheduled to take place in January-February 2024.
Desert Vipers Squad For ILT20 2024: Alex Hales (England), Ali Naseer (UAE), Colin Munro (New Zealand), Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka), Gus Atkinson (England), Luke Wood (England), Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lanka), Rohan Mustafa (UAE), Sheldon Cottrell (West Indies), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Tom Curran (England), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)