Islamabad SEPTEMBER 28 (Online): He will play for Pakistan during the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023
\nAs a young boy in a family of seven cricket-mad brothers, Pakistan pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi immersed himself in the sport\u00f3 even when sleeping.<\/p>\n
“I used to come home after training and he would take my pads and somehow wear them to bed,” said elder brother Riaz, a decent player himself with one Test cap to his name.
\n“He would place the stumps next to his pillow and dream of playing,” he told AFP.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u00a5s hopes of winning the World Cup in India will rely heavily on the lanky 23-year-old Shaheen turning those dreams into reality.
\nThe team were recently deposed as the worlds top-ranked ODI side by India, and a less-than-stellar performance in the recent rain-hit Asia Cup won by their bitter cross-border rivals has some fans questioning the sides commitment and ability.<\/p>\n
Nobody can doubt Shaheens devotion to the sport, however.
\nHailing from Landi Kotal \u00f3 a town near the Afghan border with a notorious reputation for smugglers and drug traffickers in Pakistan\u00a5s rugged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province \u00f3 Shaheen dedicated himself to cricket as soon as he could hold a bat.<\/p>\n
“His commitment to playing was matched only by his dedication to watching matches,” Riaz said.
\n“His mood would sour if Pakistan lost a match, and things would only return to normal when Pakistan won, or if he performed well himself on the field.”<\/p>\n
He is now one of the most feared opening bowlers in any form of the game.
\n“In my early days, I used to throw the ball in school games instead of bowling it,” Shaheen recalled.
\n“Riaz bhai taught me to bowl properly, and encouraged me to bowl fast.”
\nExplosive debut<\/p>\n
An early breakthrough came in 2015 when he attended a trial to join a regional Under-15 team.
\nHis towering height and rapid action caught the selectors attention, and it took just two deliveries for them to recognize his talent.
\n“I bowled two deliveries right on target, they gave their approval,” Shaheen recalls.<\/p>\n
He went on to be the most successful bowler in the championship, claiming 12 wickets, and earned a spot on the Pakistan Under-16 team for a tour to Australia in 2016.<\/p>\n
During one of these matches, former Australian captain Steve Waugh \u00f3 there to watch his son in action \u00f3 predicted Shaheen would be a future star.
\nShaheen joined Khan Research Laboratories \u00f3 the entity which runs Pakistan\u00a5s nuclear program and also fields a First Class cricket side \u00f3 making an immediate impact.<\/p>\n
On his debut in 2017 he took eight wickets for 39 runs against a formidable Rawalpindi team \u00f3 still the best First Class debut performance by a bowler in Pakistan.<\/p>\n
“I was thrilled to witness his natural talent,” said Aqib Javed who played 22 Tests and 163 ODIs for Pakistan and became one of Shaheen\u00a5s mentors.
\n“His flawless action, unwavering commitment, and innate ability to swing the ball were truly exceptional.”<\/p>\n
Shaheen, standing an impressive 1.98 metres (six feet, six inches) continued to improve every year, culminating in his inclusion in Pakistan\u00a5s Twenty20 side in 2018.<\/p>\n
He impressed with his pace in the 2019 World Cup in England, taking 16 wickets in five matches including tournament-best figures of 6-35 against Bangladesh at Lords.<\/p>\n
Now established as the countrys most dominant bowler, in the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup in Dubai he destroyed Indias top order of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli with figures of 3-31 as Pakistan recorded their first and only win to date in a World Cup match against their arch-rivals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad SEPTEMBER 28 (Online): He will play for Pakistan during the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 As a young boy in a family of seven cricket-mad brothers, Pakistan pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi immersed himself in the sport\u00f3 even when sleeping. “I used to come […]<\/p>\n
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