Asia Cup 2022: "Every Top-Order In The Competition Will Be Delighted Shaheen Afridi Isn't There" - Scott Styris
Published - 23 Aug 2022, 06:41 PM
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Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris believes that Shaheen Afridi’s absence from the Asia Cup will be a boon for the batting lineups of the other teams.
Shaheen was ruled out of the 6-nation tournament after sustaining a knee injury during Pakistan’s 2-match Test series against Sri Lanka. He will be sorely missed as Shaheen was a brilliant exponent of the new ball.
“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,” Styris told Sports18.
“Everything you would want from a fast bowler, he has it” – Scott Styris
The last time Shaheen played against India, he ran riot by dismissing both KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma with excellent deliveries. Shaheen can move the ball both ways and he could have exploited the swing on offer in the UAE.
“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.
India takes on Pakistan in their opening game on August 28, Sunday, in Dubai.
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup:
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain.
