Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez responded to former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri’s criticism of Shaheen Afridi’s performance during the Pakistan-India match. Shastri had commented, “Shaheen Shah Afridi is no Wasim Akram. He is a good bowler with the new ball and can pick wickets, but there is nothing special about him. He is only a decent bowler.”
Shaheen Afridi’s remarkable display against Australia, where he secured five wickets with figures of 5-54, appeared to be a direct reply to his critics. Although Hafeez didn’t explicitly mention Shastri, he emphasized, “Shaheen’s fifer is a statement to those comments, which someone has made sitting somewhere. Don’t compare Shaheen to anyone. Shaheen knows how he has to perform. When the ball was going all over the park [against Australia], he made an impact and gave Pakistan hope for a victory.”
Shaheen Afridi has now equaled the record for the most five-wicket hauls for Pakistan in World Cups, joining the ranks of cricket legend Shahid Afridi, with two such achievements in this prestigious tournament.