Following Pakistan’s defeat against England in the second T20I at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham, former skipper Shahid Afridi reached out to leg spinner Shadab Khan after he recorded his worst bowling figures in T20Is.
During the match on Saturday, Babar Azam’s side was bowled out for 160 while chasing a target of 184, with the hosts securing their eighth win in the last 11 T20Is against Pakistan.
Shadab conceded 55 runs in his four overs without taking a wicket his worst T20I bowling figures. He had previously recorded the same figures during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match against Peshawar Zalmi in 2021.
Afridi, speaking to a local news channel, revealed that he had a conversation with Shadab after Saturday’s match to boost his confidence and address his bowling issues.
“I need Shadab to deliver with the ball. Whenever he has performed well with the ball, Pakistan has won. I have watched all of his matches in the past.
We had a detailed chat yesterday, and I asked him who is guiding him or if there’s something he’s not doing. How are you making such mistakes? Is there no one to tell you?” Afridi said.
“I called him because I know he is going through a difficult time, and I always try to help and motivate players who are struggling. I talked with Shadab about what he is doing wrong and hope that if he applies what we discussed in training sessions, you will see the difference.”
When asked if there’s a mental block affecting Shadab, Afridi replied, “Is there any leg-spin coach with the team? Saeed Ajmal was there, but he was an off-spinner. Ajmal should be asked if he guided Shadab and why Shadab isn’t applying the advice.”
“I know there must be tremendous pressure on Shadab, but great players know how to overcome such situations. I shared one or two issues I found with his bowling, and I hope he will work on those,” Afridi concluded.
Pak vs Eng series schedule:
– 28 May – 3rd T20I, Cardiff
– 30 May – 4th T20I, The Oval
