Pakistan’s left-arm pacer, Shaheen Afridi, returned to the national side after a gap of three months due to an injury he sustained against Sri Lanka in the first Test match at Galle back in July.
The speedster looked impressive in warm-up matches against England and Afghanistan, but he did not appear to be the same Shaheen that Pakistan had four months ago in the group stage matches.
His inclusion in the playing eleven against India, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands, as well as his poor performance, have also resulted in severe criticism of the skipper, Babar Azam, and the national team management.
The speedster has responded to the matter in detail, stating that he has been working hard to regain full fitness and deliver his best performance, but it takes time to get to full fitness.
“I am trying to give my 100%. I think my pace was similar earlier too. The average pace was around 135-140 mph; I am trying to get back to full fitness. Match fitness is different. When you come back after three months, it is difficult to put in full effort,” he added.
It is worth noting that Shaheen conceded 34 runs without taking a wicket against India in the first encounter, 29 runs against Zimbabwe, and ended up with one for 19 against the Netherlands.
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