KARACHI: Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed the headlines with a stunning performance in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) match against Quetta Gladiators on Sunday.
Earlier, however, former cricketer Wasim Akram questioned Shaheen’s all-rounder status after he got promoted ahead of David Wiese and Sikandar Raza and ended up scoring just 1-for-3 in the match against Karachi Kings on Saturday.
“Shaheen has to be told he hasn’t become an all-rounder yet. You have top strikers in your team whose job it is to come in and score in the last three overs – Wies and Raza. Shaheen scored 1 goal.” 3 while Raza scored 22 off 16 and Wiese 24 off 9. They got the score to 177. It is not mandatory that when you are the captain you have to go in to bat,” Akram said on a local sports channel.
“Watch the situation and if there are better fielders and hitters in the dugout. If Shaheen had done that, maybe they would have made 190,” he added.
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After sustained criticism from Akram, the left-arm pacer responded strongly on the field. Afridi held a quiet celebration and silenced his critics after scoring his second fifty in his PSL career.
Despite the Qalandars’ struggles in the ongoing season, Afridi’s bowling has been consistent. However, his decisions as captain, particularly his decision to move up the batting order, have sparked debate.
It is worth noting that in the match against Gladiators, Afridi came in to bat at No. 5 and smashed 55 quick shots off just 34 balls, helping his team post a competitive total of 166-4. Despite their heroics, the Qalandars fell short as the Gladiators secured a six-wicket win thanks to a brilliant innings by Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Wasim Jr.
