When Pakistan cricket team fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi started bowling at the Mahindra Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota on Tuesday, it was the first time in a year that he held the red ball in his hand in a regular match.
In the first innings, Shaheen took 3 wickets by giving 36 runs in 12 overs, Pakistan bowled out the opposing team for 196 runs before tea in the first innings.
On the last day, in the second innings of the host team, Shaheen got one wicket by giving only two runs in 4 overs, the host team could only score 88 runs for four wickets.
Thanks to the half-centuries of Shaan Masood, Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel, Pakistan scored 342 runs in the first innings.
He suffered a knee injury in the same Sri Lankan Test a year ago, but his comeback with the red ball a year later was impressive, with his balls showing the same speed, length and swing that They are famous.
Speaking to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Digital in Hambantota, Shaheen Shah Afridi said, “I am very happy to return to Test cricket as I am returning to the same country where I was injured.”
Injuries are a part of any player’s life but happy to be back, I have always enjoyed Red Ball cricket and now I am just one wicket away from my 100 wickets in Test cricket, which is definitely for me, says Shaheen Afridi. It is very important.
He injured his knee while fielding on the fourth day of the first Test at Galle last year.
He made a comeback in the T20 World Cup in Australia but unfortunately injured his knee again in the final, due to which he could not play the home series against England and New Zealand.
Shaheen Shah Afridi returned to the PSL in which he captained Lahore Qalandars to the title and then played in the limited overs series against New Zealand.
Before joining the team for this tour of Sri Lanka, Shaheen Shah Afridi also represented the English county of Nottinghamshire, which also gave him a chance to get into rhythm while playing according to his workload.
Shaheen Shah Afridi says it took time to adapt to the red ball after playing the white ball but the camp in Karachi benefited me a lot, Test cricket requires patience and you have to build partnerships with your fellow bowlers It has to be worked on.
He said that last year I played more white ball cricket but when I was playing county cricket I also bowled a few overs with red ball after the matches to keep myself close to my workload.
“It seems like only yesterday when I got injured, I was talking to our physiotherapist. It’s an honor for me to represent the country in any format. I hope we can win this World Test,” says the fast bowler. Will start the championship well and reach the final this time, something we have lacked in the last two seasons.
What Shaheen Shah Afridi is most excited about on his return is the milestone of 100 wickets in Test cricket, he will be the 11th Pakistani fast bowler to achieve this honor but he has had to wait a long time for it.
He recalled last year’s Cheek Test and said, “It was almost time to get a new ball and I was thinking about how to use the new ball, but I got injured before the new ball arrived, for me.” Being away from cricket was very difficult but the time has also taught me a lot during this period which will help me to perform in the future.
It should be noted that Shaheen Shah Afridi has so far taken 99 wickets in 25 Test matches, including 5 wickets in an innings 4 times and 10 wickets in a match once.
Another highlight of Shaheen Shah Afridi is that he has improved his batting skills significantly in the last few years, a glimpse of which he showed in the final of PSL 8 against Multan Sultans when he scored just 15 runs. He played a great match-winning innings of 44 runs not out.
Shaheen Shah Afridi did the same in international cricket when he scored 22 runs off Blair Tickner’s over in the last over of the fourth ODI against New Zealand in Karachi, which included 3 sixes and a four.
The fast bowler says that I am a first bowler but whenever I get a chance to do something with the bat for my country I will do so.
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