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Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has lavished praise on left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi over his impactful comeback from injury in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. According to the Pakistan legend, Australia is the toughest place for any bowler to make a return to international cricket considering the hard surfaces on offer.
Afridi picked up a knee injury during the tour of Sri Lanka in July. The 22-year-old was out of action for the next couple of months. He made a return to international cricket with Pakistan’s first match of the T20 World Cup 2022 against India in Melbourne on October 23.
The left-arm pacer has claimed 10 wickets in the tournament so far at an average of 14.20. He registered career-best T20I figures of 4/22 against Bangladesh. He was also the team’s best bowler in the semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday, November 9, registering figures of 2/24.
Hailing Afridi for making a stellar return to international cricket, Inzamam said on his YouTube channel:
“Shaheen has been bowling brilliantly. He claimed four wickets in the last match as well. It is not easy to come back from injury, especially while playing on Australian surfaces, which are very hard.
"For anyone who has suffered a groin, knee or back injury, this is the toughest place to make a comeback. But Shaheen has done it really well.”
The Pakistan lead pacer got the team off to a terrific start in the semi-final against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), trapping opener Finn Allen lbw for four in the first over of the match. He returned to clean up Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson for 42 off 46 balls, foxing the right-handed batter with a slower delivery.
New Zealand could only post 152/4, batting first after winning the toss. Pakistan chased down the target in 19.1 overs thanks to half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan (57 from 43) and Babar Azam (53 off 42).
“He breaks the opposition’s back with early wickets” - Inzamam on Shaheen Afridi’s impact
While discussing Afridi's bowling performances in the T20 World Cup 2022, Inzamam opined that the pacer’s ability to claim early wickets is the standout feature of his bowling. He stated:
“We saw Shaheen struggling in the initial matches of the tournament, but his bowling kept improving day by day. His specialty is that he breaks the opposition’s back with early wickets in his first spell. This is a standout aspect of his bowling.”
The Pakistan fast bowler claimed only one wicket in his first three matches but has picked up nine scalps in his last three games.
