PAK vs ENG: Shaheen Afridi will be ruined under Waqar Younis, warns Tanvir Ahmed

Former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed made a bold claim ahead of the start of the Champions Cup in Pakistan. He said playing under the mentorship of Waqar Younis, fast bowler Shaheen Afridi will degrade more and forget everything about bowling.

The domestic competition, the Champions Cup, will begin in Pakistan on Thursday (12th). The tournament was launched by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to bridge the gap between the domestic and the international players which will help cricket grow in the nation.

The Champions Cup will see 5 teams locking horns with each other for the trophy. Some of the big players of the international teams will be playing in the tournament and ensuring that they share their experience with the young players before tracking into the main team.

Premier pacer Shaheen Afridi will also be part of the tournament and will be captaining the Lions team. The pace bowling legend Waqar Younis will be the mentor of the team and they would be hoping to combine and win the title in the inaugural edition.

Afridi will have a point to prove in the tournament as he has been under the scanner for a while. The fast bowler's performances have gone down in the last few months and he also has been in the headlines for poor behaviour, which hasn't gone well with many in the team.

This will be the first time since January this month that Shaheen Afridi will be captaining the team, having led the Pakistan National Cricket Team in the T20Is. He was made the captain of the team after the World Cup 2023 but his stint didn’t long last.

Afridi as a leader faced a 4-1 loss against New Zealand in the five-match series. After that, he was removed as the captain of the team and was replaced by Babar Azam, whom he replaced earlier on. Since then, he has been witnessing a downfall and has been in the news.

Tanvir Ahmed blasts Waqar Younis, says Shaheen Afridi can't learn from him

Now with Afridi set to play under the mentorship of Waqar Younis, it hasn’t gone well with former cricketer of the team Tanvir Ahmed. He said that the pacer would degrade more under Younis. Taking to his Twitter account, he explained:

“Shaheen Afridi jo tori buhat bowling karta ha waqar younis coaching kar k bilkul farigh kardey ga jo shaheen ko ata ha us say bhi jaye ga (If Waqar Younis coaches Shaheen Afridi, even the little bowling skill that Shaheen has will be lost. Waqar will completely ruin whatever Shaheen already knows.)”

Shaheen afridi jo thori buhat bowling karta ha waqar younis coaching kar k bilkul farigh kardey ga jo shaheen ko ata ha us say bhi jaye ga

— Tanveer Says (@ImTanveerA) September 12, 2024

Afridi will be keen to make an impact a leader in the tournament. There were reports that the fast bowler might captain the national team again. If he manages to win the tournament, his case will automatically get stronger.