“I have confidence in Rauf, Wasim, Naseem, Dahani”: Shadab Khan believes Shaheen Afridi’s absence won’t hurt Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022

Shadab Khan believes that the pacers of the side will step up in the absence of injured Shaheen Afridi in Asia Cup 2022.

Pakistan will start their Asia Cup 2022 campaign against arch-rivals India on 28 August 2022. The side will be high on confidence as they defeated India by 10 wickets at the very same ground in the T20 World Cup last year. However, the injury to their star pacer Shaheen Afridi is a bit of concern.

The Pakistani players are habitual of playing in the UAE conditions, and they will enjoy their time out there. Pakistan failed to reach the finals of Asia Cup 2018, and the side will be eager to improve their performance this time around. It is interesting to note that India have won all the Asia Cups that have been played in UAE.

Shadab Khan backs bowlers to do well in Shaheen Afridi’s absence

Pakistan’s all-rounder Shadab Khan said that the injury to Shaheen Afridi is a blow for the side, but he insists that cricket is not an individual game. He showed his faith in the pacers of the side and said that the rest of the bowlers will step in Afridi’s absence. Afridi has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury.

Although, Mohammad Wasim Jr. is also facing an injury scare, and it can be a worrying sign for Pakistan ahead of the tournament. Mohammad Hasnain has replaced the injured Shaheen Afridi in the team.

“Shaheen Shah Afridi’s absence is a blow as he is our main strike bowler. But the beauty of cricket is that it’s not an individual but a team game. So we have many match-winning bowlers in our family and I have confidence in Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and others, who will surely step-up,” Shadab Khan said to PCB.

Shadab wishes to win the player of the tournament award of the Asia Cup. He said that he is committed to giving his best for the side with both bat and the ball in the tournament. Although, he insists that the bigger objective is to win the tournament with Afghanistan.

“It will be great if I can translate my dreams of lifting the player of the tournament trophy, but the much bigger and ultimate objective is to win the glittering trophy for Pakistan, rest is secondary,” Khan added.

Shadab had a brilliant PSL 2022 for Islamabad United with both bat and ball. He scalped 19 wickets in 9 matches, whereas he scored 268 runs at a brilliant S/R of 162.42. He would want to repeat his heroics in Asia Cup 2022.