National team fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has rejected the impression of workload management and expressed his determination to continue participating in all three formats of cricket.
In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, national team fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi said that he has never thought of leaving any format of cricket. Ever since I have been playing, I have always had in mind to perform well for Pakistan. I have also received a lot of respect for it.
On the question that the captaincy of the Pakistan team was withdrawn after just one series, did you not take it to heart? To this, the fast bowler jokingly said that I don’t have my heart. He said that national leadership is a matter of honor and I am very happy that I got this opportunity. After performing as a player, when you become a captain, you feel proud that you did something for your country, whether the team won a match, or someone played well in batting or bowling. I was happy to see this since childhood. Doing something for Pakistan in any field is a matter of pride.
To a question, Shaheen Afridi said that those who talk about getting benefits from being Shahid Afridi’s son-in-law do not understand cricket. I do not talk to them about cricket, nor does Shahid Afridi have anything to do with my cricket. He is a great cricketer who performs well for Pakistan. I got a chance to learn a lot from watching him. Giving advice is not a bad thing. However, we have never said anything about cricket that is harmful to me or the Pakistan team. We always have something positive for the development of Pakistan.
He said that the absence of Aqib Javed should not affect Lahore Qalandars, the players are the ones who perform on the field, we have a very good coaching staff, the players have been playing together for 7-8 years, hopefully there will be no difference in performance.
Shaheen Afridi said that even if Fakhar Zaman is half fit, he is heavier than everyone, now he is fully fit, Fakhar is our important player, Qalandars will have a lot of hopes from him, he has always been with this team, he also gets advice from him.
The fast bowler said that Haris Rauf has been Pakistan’s best bowler in white-ball cricket for a long time, sometimes a person has such a bad patch in which his performance is not good, last year unfortunately he got injured at the beginning, due to which the bowling balance of Lahore Qalandars was affected, Haris is a fighter cricketer, we have high hopes from him that he will perform well.
Qalandars set their sights on the title
Last year, the team finished last, winning only one match out of 10, but this time there is hope for a better performance. Captain Shaheen Afridi said that the players of Lahore Qalandars are very excited for the new season, our preparations are also going well. Last year, we were not able to present a very good game, but this is part of the game, however, this time we will correct the shortcomings and participate in the event.
Regarding his ambitions in the PSL, Shaheen Afridi said that no matter how many times I have participated in the league so far, I have never thought about how many wickets to take and what to do. I always want to help my team, that is the most important thing for me.
He described Lahore Qalandars as the most dangerous team in the PSL and said that I have not given much thought to the others and I am not aware of them. If you pay more attention to your team, good results come out.
I bat early in some matches of Lahore Qalandars for the team’s needs
On criticism of going to bat early in some matches of Lahore Qalandars last year, Shaheen Afridi said that I do this for the team’s needs. You must have seen that whenever I went to bat, 4-5 players of our team were out for 30-40 runs. I did not want the batsmen who finished the match to lose wickets in difficult times. Whatever the bowling or batting, when the team needs it, I try to step forward and accept responsibility. If I bear the pressure myself, it is good for the team. Even if my wicket falls, the team will not suffer that much, but if some runs are scored, the pressure can be put on the opponent. He said that I have no intention of becoming an all-rounder. First, my responsibility is to bowl, then comes batting.
If the team does not win, then individual performance is of no use
Shaheen Afridi said that last year, Rassie van der Dussen played a very good game, I myself also took 14 wickets, but if the team does not win, then it is of no use, we need impact players in T20 cricket, if you re-select your important players while making the team, it is of great benefit, this time we have Sam Billings etc. back, this is a good sign for our team.
Life became even more beautiful after the birth of a son
He said that when I was playing a Test match, my son was born, I did not even know, the family spent that time alone, when I go to play a match, I make a video call with my son, it is a great time.
