ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Mahela Jayawardene Believes Shaheen Afridi And Naseem Shah Will Be A Handful In Australian Conditions

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene believes Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah will be dangerous in Australia during the T20 World Cup.

Over the last few seasons, Shaheen has been Pakistan’s leading pacer across all three formats. He has been out for a few weeks due to a knee injury sustained during the July trip to Sri Lanka. Pakistan is hoping he will be able to recuperate in time for the T20 World Cup.

Naseem made a significant impression while Shaheen was away during the Asia Cup and the previous tour of the Netherlands. Jayawardene predicted that the pair might have a big impact at the T20 World Cup when speaking on the ICC Review show. He stated:

“The conditions in Australia will make those players difficult to handle. If Shaheen and Naseem bowl in tandem from both ends, it will be a nightmare, especially for many opening batters” Mahela Jayawardene said.
Naseem, 19, became one of Pakistan’s standout players during the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates. He took seven wickets in five games at a remarkable economy rate of 7.66.

I have been keeping up with Naseem for a while: Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene claimed that Naseem had reached maturity after examining his international cricket performances up to this point. Quick to praise young Pakistan, he said:

“I have been keeping up with Naseem for a while. Due to his velocity, it is obvious that they have utilised him extensively in red-ball and Test match cricket.”

“In the white-ball format, they did not support him all that much in terms of accuracy, but now, with a lot of cricket being played, he has matured, and the control he showed, especially when picking up wickets with the new ball, is what matters most” Mahela Jayawardene Added.

He also clobbered consecutive sixes in the Super 4 match against Afghanistan as Pakistan pulled off a thrilling one-wicket win.

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