“When Shaheen Shah Afridi opened the bowling for Pakistan on Tuesday in a two-day warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka Cricket Board XI at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, it was almost after a year that he had donned whites for his country after injuring his knee in the first of the two Tests at Galle last year.
“I am very excited to be making my Test comeback in the country where I was injured,” Shaheen told PCB Digital in Hambantota. “Injuries are part of an athlete’s life, but it is good to be back. I enjoy red-ball cricket a lot and I am one wicket away from a century of Test wickets, which would be a big achievement for me.”
“The nature of injury demanded his return to be gradual and systematic, and he has not played a first-class match since the fourth morning of the first Test at Galle when he landed awkwardly at the boundary trying to stop the ball. He made his international return in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October last year but twisted his knee in the final, which saw him miss the home series against England (Tests) and New Zealand (Tests and ODIs). He finally returned earlier this year for Lahore Qalandars to help them retain the HBL Pakistan Super League title before featuring in April’s 10-match limited-overs series against New Zealand.
“It takes time to get used to red-ball cricket after playing white-ball,” he said, adding, “But the Karachi camp proved beneficial for me. Test cricket demands patience and you have to work in partnerships with fellow bowlers. Over the last year, I have played more white-ball matches, but when I was playing in the United Kingdom, I bowled extra overs after matches – even with the red ball – to meet the desired workload”.”
It seems like yesterday when I was injured. I will be making my Test return at the same ground where I was injured. I was talking to our physiotherapist about it. It is a matter of pride to represent Pakistan in any format and I enjoy playing for Pakistan. I hope we will have a good beginning to this cycle of the World Test Championship and we will qualify for the final, something we have missed on in the last two iterations.
“What makes this return more exciting is the milestone in line. He is just one wicket away from becoming the 11th pacer from Pakistan to record a century of wickets in the format. ‘There is a lot of excitement [for that 100th wicket],’ he expresses.
However, it has been a long wait. ‘I was only one wicket away, and the new ball was about to be available,’ he recalls the first Test against Galle 12 months ago. ‘I was planning to utilize the new ball to reach that milestone, but I got injured before we got the new ball. So, I have had to wait a lot. It is very tough to be away from cricket, but time has helped me learn a lot, which will help me perform well for Pakistan across formats.’
His 99 wickets have come in just 25 matches at an average of 24.86. He has also showcased his batting skills during his rehabilitation, adding another dimension to his game. In the HBL PSL 8 final, his smoking 44 not out off just 15 balls set up Lahore Qalandars’ thrilling win over Multan Sultans. He also displayed his hitting abilities on the international stage, smashing New Zealand’s Blair Tickner for 22 runs, including three sixes and a four, in the last over of the fourth One-Day International in Karachi, propelling Pakistan to a total of 334.
‘I am a bowler first,’ he laughs. ‘But whenever I get a chance to make an impact with the bat for my country, I will do so,’ he concludes.”
