Pakistan have named Mohammad Hasnain as Shaheen Afridi's replacement for the impending Asia Cup tournament after the star pacer failed to recover from his knee injury which he incurred during the Test series against Sri Lanka. But veterans and experts have expressed their concern over such a big setback for the Pakistan side given Shaheen's prowess with the new ball especially in T20 cricket. And seconding Pakistan legend Waqar Younis' recent remark on Indian team following Shaheen's injury, New Zealand great Scott Styris believes that the news gives India a bigger chance of winning the Asia Cup.
Shaheen incurred a right-knee ligament injury while fielding during the Test series in Sri Lanka at Galle, leaving him out of action for the next 4-6 weeks. He will be expected to be back ahead of the T20 World Cup in October, but Pakistan will surely be missing him in the powerplay and the variety he adds to the bowling line-up.
Speaking on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘Sports Over The Top’, the former New Zealand cricketer admitted that not just the Indian team, all the top-order batters will delighted over the news of Shaheen's absence. He further seconded Waqar's recent words in a viral tweet saying that given India top-order's vulnerability to left-arm pacers, with no Shaheen, it gives then an edge over Pakistan and an advantage to win the Asia Cup for the eighth time in history.
“Every top order should be high-fiving themselves because he has every possible attribute that you could want in a fast bowler. He has height, he has the pace, he gets bounce, he has that ability to swing the ball, and he has the variation of being a left armer as well. So, everything you would want from a fast bowler, he has it. So, I'm with you. I think that every top order in this competition, not just the Indian top order who are susceptible to the ball coming back, I think that they will be delighted that he isn't there and it gives them a greater chance of winning the tournament,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Every top order should be high-fiving themselves because he has every possible attribute that you could want in a fast bowler. He has height, he has the pace, he gets bounce, he has that ability to swing the ball, and he has the variation of being a left armer as well. So, everything you would want from a fast bowler, he has it. So, I'm with you. I think that every top order in this competition, not just the Indian top order who are susceptible to the ball coming back, I think that they will be delighted that he isn't there and it gives them a greater chance of winning the tournament,” he said.
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