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Cricket Players‘Pakistani think tank will have to answer…’: Ex-PAK captain's huge statement about ‘hampered’ Shaheen Afridi after India
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who masterminded Pakistan's historic win over India last year, went wicketless in the recently concluded Super 12 fixture between the two Asian giants at the T20 World Cup.
Pace ace Shaheen Shah Afridi made his return to international cricket in Pakistan's high-profile meeting with arch-rivals India at the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday. Spearheading the world-class bowling attack of the Babar Azam-led side after returning from a knee injury, Afridi had a forgetful outing with the ball against Rohit Sharma-led Team India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Reflecting on Afridi's mediocre performance against the Virat Kohli-starrer side, former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt has hinted that the premier fast bowler was not fully fit during the blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan at the T20 World Cup. Speaking on his YouTube channel after Team India's memorable win over Pakistan in their campaign opener at the MCG, Butt issued a stern warning to the Pakistani think tank.
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"If there was any match in this whole T20 World Cup in which Shaheen would have wanted to put in all his efforts, it was the one against India. When you play a match of this magnitude, a player doesn't care if he has a slight niggle and goes all out," Butt said.
Afridi, who masterminded Pakistan's historic win over India last year, went wicketless in the recently concluded Super 12 fixture between the two Asian giants. Afridi bowled four overs and leaked 34 runs against India. Batting icon Kohli smashed 82 off 53 balls to help India upstage Pakistan in the final-over thriller at the MCG.
"There must be something that may have hampered Shaheen. It means that he is still not a hundred percent fit. If he slows down or has to sit out in the upcoming matches, the Pakistani think tank as well as the doctors will have to answer a lot of questions," Butt added. Pakistan's Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz shared four wickets in India's four-wicket win over the former world champions at the MCG. Babar-led Pakistan will meet Zimbabwe in the 24th Match of the Super 12 (Group 2) stage at the T20 World Cup on Thursday.
