There has been considerable buzz around Shaheen Shah Afridi recently, following reports that he was dropped from the Pakistan Test squad for the ongoing series against South Africa.
The left-arm pacer, who is set to make his debut for Fortune Barishal after being selected for the first five games, attended a press conference ahead of the tournament but chose to steer clear of any questions related to Pakistan cricket.
It was reported that Shaheen, who took seven wickets for Pakistan in the previous ODI series against South Africa, was excluded from the Test squad after failing to comply with a selector’s instruction to play a four-day game, which was viewed as disobedience.
The PCB then cited workload management as the reason for his omission, later granting him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
On Saturday, Shaheen remained tight-lipped about the entire situation, preferring not to stir further controversy.
“Sorry for that, can we just focus on the Bangladesh league?” Shaheen told reporters when asked about the recent controversy.
“I am fit (to play across formats), and that’s why I’m here (to play in the BPL),” he added.
Putting the Test exclusion behind him, Shaheen is on the verge of becoming the player with the most wickets in the opening over of T20 cricket.
“Actually, I’m not trying to break records or make a record.
I’m just trying to hit my right areas in T20 cricket,” said Shaheen.
“You know, the wicket in T20 cricket is usually good for batting, so I just try to mix it up with variations and focus on hitting my good areas.”
“For me, it’s usual.
Batters try to take on bowlers to disturb their rhythm.
As a bowler, when you take an early wicket, it disrupts the whole batting unit because the middle order struggles to face the new ball.
That’s my approach—to take a wicket with the new ball.
If not, I use my variations,” he added.
Shaheen expressed his excitement to perform in the BPL and repay the trust of team captain Tamim Iqbal, who played a key role in bringing him to the franchise.
“I’m really excited to play in the BPL,” he noted.
“When Tamim Bhai called me for this team, I was excited and looking forward to it.
I know the Bangladeshi people love cricket, and they admire the superstars, so I hope I can perform well here.”
“From what I’ve seen, the BPL is a very good competition.
I hope there’s a lot to learn for us as well.
Coming from Pakistan, we hope to play good cricket here.
I know there are many Pakistani cricketers here.
Let’s see how the cricket goes, then I can compare it with other T20 leagues,” he concluded.
Leave a Reply