'I see him taking a big break after the tournament is over' - Ravi Shastri predicts Shaheen Afridi’s future post T20 World Cup

Despite being one of the premier fast bowlers in the world at the moment, Shaheen Shah Afridi is yet to come to the party in the ongoing T20 World Cup. In three matches that the left-arm bowler has played so far in the tournament, the 22-year-old has just picked up one wicket, and conceded 82 runs in 12 overs. Being Pakistan's pace spearhead, he was expected to breathe fire but that surely hasn’t been the case so far.

Coming back from a knee injury, Shaheen couldn't play a lot of cricket before arriving in Australia for the multi-nation tournament. With that, former India Head Coach Ravi Shastri believes that the speedster currently isn’t fit enough and was rushed into his comeback. The 60-year-old also makes a bold prediction that the Pakistan international will take a big break after the T20 World Cup.

“One thing is clear to me, that he is hurting. In the sense of hurting, I mean physically. I don't think he is fully fit. He has been brought back a little too early. So the expectations are a little bit too much on him. This is a World Cup. So the pressure is on him, he wants to play. The country wants him to play, and selectors want him to play. But he is gonna take it slowly. He is gonna get into the rhythm as the tournament progresses. I see him taking a big break after the tournament is over,” Shastri told while speaking to host broadcaster Star Sports.

Pakistan hammer Netherlands to win their first-ever T20I in Australia

After two back-to-back defeats at the hands of India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan were under tremendous pressure to do well and make a solid comeback in the ongoing tournament. On top of that, Babar Azam and company were winless in T20Is on Australian soil but it all changed when they defeated the Netherlands by six wickets to win their first match of the tournament and also their first-ever T20I in Australia.

Bowling first, the Men in Green restricted the Netherlands to just 91 runs in 20 overs and chased it down with 37 balls to spare. After a flop show with the bat in the earlier games, Mohammad Rizwan finally showed glimpses of his class as the opener smashed 49 runs off 39 deliveries. Shadab Khan was once again the key to Pakistan’s success with the ball.

Bowling at an economy of 5.50, the leg-spinner picked up three crucial wickets to give Pakistan an early advantage. Based on his incredible performance, the 24-year-old was also adjudged the Player of the Match.

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