Former cricketer Shahid Afridi named Pakistan’s bowling line-up as the strongest ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is less than a week away.
The marquee event will kick off on June 1 with the co-hosts USA taking on Canada. Pakistan will march into the tournament as one of the favourites to lift the trophy after reaching the final in the previous edition.
The Men in Green have been known for the prowess of their pacers and ahead of the tournament, Afridi labelled Pakistan’s bowling unit as the strongest.
“I think in any cricket team in the world, nobody has such a strong bowling line-up. All our four fast bowlers have a lot of skill and even the bowlers sitting on the bench like Abbas (Afridi) have a lot of skill with a good slower ball,” Afridi said in a video posted by ICC.
“If the players with such good skills enter this World Cup against world-class batters they will perform well. All the names will also have a huge responsibility over them,” he added.
Pakistan’s pace bowling set-up includes Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has voiced his concerns regarding the team’s pace bowling set-up.
During their ongoing series against England, Pakistan succumbed to a 23-run defeat in the second T20I.
On a sunny day at Edgbaston, Shaheen stood out with the ball by claiming three wickets in his four-over spell. However, he struggled to make his mark in the early phase of the game.
“Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling. Look, if the ball isn’t swinging and he bowls at full length, then he gets bashed. He needs to develop length ball and change of pace especially when he is not getting much from the pitch. Even today, he didn’t bowl perfectly with the new ball and [England] escaped pressure,” Ramiz said on his YouTube channel.
During Pakistan’s tour of Ireland, the Asian pacers struggled to find their rhythm throughout the series. Mohammad Amir and Naseem Shah played two games and combined to pick up four wickets while giving away 96 runs.
In the third T20I, Naseem was dropped and Hasan Ali was brought in his place. Hasan conceded 42 runs in three overs at a staggering economy of 14.00.
After witnessing their performance against Ireland, Ramiz raised concerns and said, “Some bowlers look under pressure. Hasan Ali had a bad outing, and Mohammad Amir’s performance was flat. What is the role of Abbas Afridi? He looks like Saim Ayub, a lost cause. You need to announce the World Cup squad quickly because not each player can be on trial.”
Pakistan will now play the third T20I against England in Cardiff on Tuesday. (ANI)
