‘No comparison between Mohammed Shami and Shaheen Shah Afridi’: Kapil Dev says Pakistan pacer miles ahead
Shaheen #Shaheen
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The outcome of India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup Super 12 match at the MCG on Sunday could well depend on how Mohammed Shami and Shaheen Shah Afridi perform upfront and at the death with the ball. Shami is vastly experienced and incredibly skilful but he was not India’s first choice. He only came into the main squad after Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the World Cup with a back injury. Shaheen Afridi, on the other hand, is one of the world’s white-ball bowlers going around in world cricket at the moment. But both of them will be under pressure when they take the field not just because of the occasion but also because it will be their first international match after a long gap. (India vs Pakistan Live Score T20 World Cup 2022)
Shami last played for India in the England tour. His last T20I, hold your breath, was in last year’s World Cup. Enough proof to indicate that the veteran right-arm seamer wasn’t in the T20I scheme of things even till the recent Asia Cup but Bumrah’s injury changed everything. There is absolutely no doubt about Shami’s abilities. He showed how lethal he can be with the new ball in IPL 2022 with the Gujarat Titans. But is he match-ready? He hasn’t played a competitive cricket match for over three months now. His only tryst with the blue was that one over he bowled in the warm-up match against Australia, picking up three wickets, and giving only 4 runs away to win the match for India.
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Shaheen, who had single-handedly dismantled India’s top-order in last year’s T20 World Cup, too has been away from cricket since the Sri Lanka Test in July, in which he suffered a knee injury. He has bowled four overs in the two warm-up matches against England and Afghanistan but experts believe he is still not 100%.
Can Shami and Shaheen be the deciding factors? If yes then who holds the edge? Former India captain Kapil Dev said one shouldn’t draw comparisons between the two as the Pakistan left-arm seamer is miles ahead on current form.
“You can’t judge anything by just one over. Afridi was spot on when talked about looking at the performances of the last two years where Shaheen has been very good. Whenever he has got an opportunity, he has made an impact. I wouldn’t even like to compare (Shami and Shaheen). Shami hasn’t played a lot of cricket of late. I would have perhaps compared Bumrah with Afridi if he was there but can’t compare Shami and Afridi because there is a lot of difference,” Kapil said in a joint broadcast of Samaa TV and ABP News.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was more reserved in his assessment. “If you look at the last few years, Shaheen’s performances have been outstanding. He has used the new ball brilliantly. As a bowler you always try to pick wickets in the first six overs to give your team a good start. Shami too has had some very good spells with the new-ball. Both Shami and Shaheen know how to bowl with the new ball. It’s a big match coming up and we’ll get to know who bowls better,” he said.
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