Shahid Khan Afridi voiced confidence in Pakistan’s competitiveness during the ongoing Melbourne Test, despite the challenge of chasing 317 runs for victory.
Pakistan hasn’t claimed a Test win in Australia since 1995, and facing a target over 300 in the fourth innings at the MCG is rare, with the highest successful chase being 332-7 by England in 1928.
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Speaking at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Afridi stressed Babar Azam’s pivotal role in Pakistan’s batting lineup, lauding his consistency as an uncommon trait in Pakistani cricket. Afridi firmly believes in Babar’s capacity to lead the team’s pursuit of runs.
“This Test match, they should win. We had a good chance to dismiss them for 150 runs easily. But it’s a chaseable score. Babar Azam is highly rated, not just by me but by the world. He’s the backbone of Pakistan’s batting. Consistency like his is rare in Pakistan cricket,” Shahid Khan Afridi remarked.
Regarding concerns about Shaheen Afridi’s fitness, Afridi dismissed any doubts, asserting that he never sensed an injury.
“I’ve never felt Shaheen Afridi is injured. If you’re injured, playing as a fast bowler is tough. He understands his responsibility and his importance to the team. We have high expectations from our fast bowlers based on their past performances. Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, they’ve done so well, and we expect that consistently. Consistency in cricket is a tough ask,” Afridi stated.
He also highlighted the need for a strong bench strength, emphasizing that a robust reserve team diminishes the impact of player unavailability. Afridi believes that with a strong bench, excuses due to player absence would fade away.
Pakistan vs Australia Second Test Teams
Australia Playing XI:
- David Warner
- Usman Khawaja
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steve Smith
- Travis Head
- Mitchell Marsh
- Alex Carey
- Pat Cummins (capt)
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
- Josh Hazlewood
Pakistan Playing XI:
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Abdullah Shafique
- Shan Masood (capt)
- Babar Azam
- Saud Shakeel
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Agha Salman
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Hasan Ali
- Mir Hamza
- Aamer Jamal
