Shaheen Shah Afridi has a fandom in England
Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has a fandom in England which is increasing day-by-day following his majestic bowling spells.
Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has a fandom in England which is increasing day by day following his majestic bowling spells.
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has made his Middlesex home debut at Lords at Thursday and got his first county championship wicket by sending off Marnus Labuschagne to the pavilion.
A video shared by a UK-based sports journalist Ihtisham Ul Haq showed a queue of young pacer Afridi’s fans queuing up for taking his autograph.
🦅 and his English fans at Lord’s today. @iShaheenAfridi @Middlesex_CCC pic.twitter.com/jxMhCSMYhz
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) April 28, 2022
During the county debut, Afridi dismissed Marnus Labuschagne.
Shaheen Afridi’s FIRST County Championship wicket…and it’s Marnus Labuschagne.pic.twitter.com/y9xP3RTFI0
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) April 21, 2022
Prior to the match, Middlesex Cricket shared the video clip of Afridi’s participation in the training session in London on Sunday.
🏏 | SHAHEEN TRAINS AT LORD’S
After arriving in London on Sunday, @iShaheenAfridi has had his first training session at the @HomeOfCricket!Looks like the guy can bowl 🤩
WATCH HERE ⬇️ | #OneMiddlesex pic.twitter.com/xQfT83lmOB
— Middlesex Cricket (@Middlesex_CCC) April 19, 2022
While talking to AFP, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi said he will be living a dream when he makes his Middlesex home debut at Lord’s on Thursday.
The towering left-arm quick has signed to play for the English county club, based at the London ground — the game’s spiritual home.
“It’s every cricketer’s dream to come here and play at the home of cricket,” Afridi told reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday ahead of Middlesex’s match against Leicestershire.
🎙 | HANDSCOMB AND SHAHEEN FACE THE PRESS
Plenty of positive chat from both Pete Handscomb and @iShaheenAfridi as they faced the media earlier today ahead of their first home MIddlesex appearances of the season at @HomeOfCricket #OneMiddlesex pic.twitter.com/b39I8jMB2C
— Middlesex Cricket (@Middlesex_CCC) April 27, 2022
Afridi has already starred at the ground, taking 6-35 against Bangladesh during a 50-over 2019 World Cup match.
“Now I want to take 10 [wickets in an innings],” he said with a smile.
“When you play for your country you always feel proud and that came against Bangladesh so it was a good game for me as well.
“As a youngster, you’re playing in a World Cup game and you take six wickets so yes, it’s a big high for me and one of the best memories for me.”
Afridi, one of the rising stars of world cricket, with 95 wickets in 24 Tests at an average of 25, is set to play his maiden first-class match at Lord’s, having made his Middlesex debut away to Glamorgan last week.
Middlesex, who play in the second division of the County Championship, won that match by an innings and 82 runs, with 22-year-old Afridi taking four wickets.
“The first game, everywhere you go, is crucial,” said the paceman, who twice dismissed Australian Test star Marnus Labuschagne in the match — after taking his wicket three times in the recent Test series between Australia and Pakistan.
Afridi’s captain at Middlesex is another Australia batsman in Peter Handscomb.
