Pakistani fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has given a warning to his opponents, especially arch-rivals India, saying that his good performance in the Asia Cup is just the beginning, and the Cricket World Cup is coming up soon.
He made a big impact against India last week, taking 4 wickets. Even though that match got rained out, they’re going to face each other again in Colombo on Sunday as a warm-up for the World Cup.
Shaheen said that matches against India are special, and he used to eagerly watch them as a fan before playing cricket. He also said that what he’s done so far is just the start, and he has more to offer.
Shaheen, known for swinging the ball both ways, leads a strong pace attack for Pakistan. His fellow fast bowlers, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, have also done well in the Asia Cup, taking a total of 23 wickets.
They all have specific roles with the new and old ball. Haris is the quickest, while Naseem and Shaheen aim to get early wickets. Effective communication among them has been crucial to their success.
Shaheen had a serious knee injury last year but made a strong comeback in July. He credits his improvement to playing more matches, especially Test matches against Sri Lanka, where he bowled a lot and fielded extensively, showing that his knee is fine. He has a good record of 105 wickets in 27 Test matches.