A video of Pakistan’s left-arm fast bowler Muhammad Amir predicting Shaheen Shah Afridi’s career trajectory all the way back in in 2021 is going viral on social media.
His predictions seems true today.
Shaheen was injured and out of Asia Cup 2022. He was also ruled out of a three-match ODI series ahead of the Asia Cup after suffering a knee injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka. Despite not being included in the squad, Shaheen left for the Netherlands tour, delaying his recovery in time for the Asia Cup.
The left-arm fast bowler is considered one of the most dangerous bowlers in world cricket, especially in the T20 format.
He is one of the permanent players of the Pakistan team. Former cricketers have been demanding that he be given rest to reduce his workload.
After being ruled out of the Asia Cup 2022, the team’s star fast bowler, Muhammad Amir, ‘s 2021 interview went viral, in which he specifically warned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management about Shaheen possibly getting injured.
He said, “India prepared their bowlers and used them to their best. Look at bowlers like Bumrah, Shami, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who are bowling at speeds of over 140 in domestic. Today, India has different teams, such as batsmen and bowlers, in different formats. They have prepared and included such players in the team according to their needs.”
“In Pakistan, a person wins the lottery and then he continues to play in all three formats. I am not against it, but you should have a rotation policy. Look at Cummins, Hazlewood, and Starc; you will never see them playing all the matches in all formats of the series. If someone plays Tests, he won’t play the first 2 ODIs; if he plays ODIs, he will rest in T20 format. Thus, they can play cricket for a long time,” he further added.
Amir said, “Shaheen is playing more and more. He is still young, but once he crosses 26 and continues to bowl in all three formats, you will surely take back my point that what I was saying was right.”
Pakistan is currently playing a Test series against Bangladesh, and Shaheen has not been included in the squad for the second Test match. Earlier in the first match, his average bowling speed was 127-130 Kilometers per hour (KPH).
