Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris believes that Shaheen Afridi’s absence from the Asia Cup will be a boon for the batting lineups of the other teams.
Shaheen was ruled out of the 6-nation tournament after sustaining a knee injury during Pakistan’s 2-match Test series against Sri Lanka. He will be sorely missed as Shaheen was a brilliant exponent of the new ball.
“Every top order should be high-fiving themselves because he has every possible attribute that you could want in a fast bowler. He has height, he has the pace, he gets bounce, he has that ability to swing the ball, and he has the variation of being a left armer as well,” Styris told Sports18.
The last time Shaheen played against India, he ran riot by dismissing both KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma with excellent deliveries. Shaheen can move the ball both ways and he could have exploited the swing on offer in the UAE.
India takes on Pakistan in their opening game on August 28, Sunday, in Dubai.