Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah have done well against India but on different occasions. T20 World Cup 2022 will be the first time the pacers will join hands, and play together, against the Men in Blue.
India and Pakistan lock horns in their World Cup opener on Sunday, October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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Shaheen Shah rattled India’s top-order in the T20 World Cup last year. He picked up three wickets for 31 runs. Batting heavyweights KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were his victims. Riding on the 22-year-old’s performance and openers Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam’s unbeaten opening stand, Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets.
The pacer, who is engaged to Ansha, Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi’s daughter, won the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year in 2021.
Shaheen was ruled out of Asia Cup 2022 with a knee injury. In his place came 19-year-old Naseem Shah. Looking to cement his place in the playing XI, the youngster almost won the tournament opener for Pakistan, vs India.
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KL Rahul was his first victim. The Indian opener dragged a skidding thunderbolt outside off onto his stumps. The 19-year-old then nipped one back into former skipper Virat Kohli before taking one out. He troubled both Kohli and Rohit Sharma before dismissing an in-form Suryakumar Yadav. All-rounder Hardik Pandya’s heroics won the game for India, but Naseem’s 2/27 promised wonders.
In Pakistan’s Super Four match against India, Naseem took a wicket for 45 runs. His team won the game by five wickets. The young pacer finished the tournament with seven wickets at an economy rate of 7.66.
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The two have never faced India as a combined force. They have a chance in the T20 World Cup in Australia. If both of them play, the Men in Blue are expected to be tested with eight overs of quality pace and swing.
Naseem’s whippy action generates easy pace. The conditions in Australia and grass on the pitch will help him get those skid deliveries right. For Shaheen, who is coming back after injury, the ball swung both ways during Pakistan’s warm-up games.