IND vs PAK: “I Don't Think Shaheen Afridi's Return Was As Good As Mohammed Shami's"- Sanjay Bangar Feels Pakistani Pacer Lacking Confidence

Although they haven’t even begun their T20 World Cup campaign, India made a statement with their performance against Australia on Monday in Brisbane. India’s batsmen were headed by KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav, and Mohammed Shami‘s performance in one over demonstrated the Men in Blue’s commitment to the contest. 

India’s campaign will begin against archrival Pakistan, who didn’t perform well against England in the first warm-up game. The Three Lions thoroughly outperformed Babar Azam and his team in the 19-over match, dismantling the 161-run chase and finishing it with 26 balls remaining. 

With the ball, Shaheen Afridi, who is making his comeback from injury, was once more precise, allowing only seven runs in the two overs he bowled.

Sanjay Bangar Compares Shaheen Afridi And Mohammed Shami

Sanjay Bangar, a former cricketer for India and current batting coach, believes he is not having the same influence as he did before the injury. 

“I don’t think Afridi’s return was as good as Shami’s. The special thing was that he didn’t bowl a single incoming delivery.

All his deliveries were going away from the batters, which means it is clear that he is not yet fully confident of his position on the crease, the strong position he has,” Bangar mentioned during a discussion on Star Sports. 

Also Read:ICC T20 World Cup 2022: “Mohammed Shami Seems A Good Replacement For Jasprit Bumrah”- Sachin Tendulkar

Not Good Signs For Pakistan: Sanjay Bangar

In his lengthy discussion on Shaheen’s comeback, Bangar also drew attention to a tiny shift in the pacer’s technique, which he says is not a good omen for Pakistan before a major competition like the World Cup. 

“I also feel he has made a slight change in his technique. If he has made a change at this stage, especially the way he is releasing the ball, they are not good signs for Pakistan. The fact that the balls are not swinging into the right-handed batters will be a slight breath of relief for the Indian top-order batting,” he added.