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Pakistan faced a shocking seven-wicket defeat against arch-rivals India in their previous ODI World Cup 2023 match in Ahmedabad. Asked to bat first, the Babar Azam-led side was bundled out for 191. Later, Team India chased down the target in just 30.3 overs with skipper Rohit Sharma smashing 86 runs. Aiming redemption, Pakistan will now square off against Australia in their match on Friday in Bengaluru. Ahead of the match, former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram issued an advice for pacer Shaheen Afridi, who is yet to leave his mark in the tournament.
With four wickets in three matches, Pakistan’s pace spearhead has not been able to live up to the expectations of the fans and the team. Amid all this action, Akram backed Shaheen and stated that the star pacer just needs to follow his routine.
“He has been bowling well. During the World Cup, what special he can do? Obviously, his confidence is low. But he’s a wicket-taking bowler, if you are not getting wickets, just be normal. Don’t do anything out of ordinary, follow your routine and keep practicing. Just one or two good spells is all he need to be back in form,” Akram said during an appearance on ‘The Pavilion’, a show on Pakistan’s A Sports.
Afridi has not delivered yet on the expected lines. Afridi has taken four wickets from three matches and his economy rate of 6.31 is the second worst among Pakistan bowlers behind leg-spinner Shadab Khan, 6.55.
His average for the tournament stands at 34.75, and both those stats are significantly higher than his career numbers – 5.51 and 23.87.
Not so long ago, Afridi was a fearsome presence with the new ball, inflicting some serious damage in the Powerplay segment to rob opposition teams of early momentum.
But in this tournament, Afridi looked a far cry from that furious avatar of him. Along with his reduced efficiency, the Pakistan management will be even more concerned with the sharp dip in Afridi’s pace.
A bowler capable of touching close to 150 clicks, Afridi has crossed the 140-mark only intermittently in this World Cup, as batsmen tackled him with consummate ease on the slower Indian pitches.
(With PTI inputs)
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