I could not have played for Pakistan this early, if it was not for you, Shaheen Afridi thanks Inzamam-ul-Haq

The former Pakistan cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq, on Wednesday, announced that he will step down as the chief selector at the end of this month. His three-year contract ends on July 31 and he thinks it is the right time for others to take over who can bring in new ideas. During his stint though the former Pakistan skipper unearthed some superb talents in the country and one of them is Shaheen Afridi who hogged the limelight in the 2019 World Cup.

Shaheen Afridi ended up with 16 wickets in five matches in the mega event. He bowled superbly during the fag end of the tournament and many questioned his absence from the playing XI in the earlier matches. Shaheen, the young left-arm fast bowler, made his international debut in September last year on the back of a brilliant Pakistan Super League (PSL) season earlier in the year for Lahore Qalandars.

Though many raised eyebrows over his selection, Inzamam-ul-Haq backed the youngster to come good and Shaheen Afridi went on to play across all the formats for Pakistan.

One to watch out for

Shaheen Afridi has so far played 3 Tests, 19 ODIs and 10 T20Is in his career picking 12, 40 and 14 wickets respectively. There is no doubt that he is the one to watch out for in the future and without Inzamam’s backing, he couldn’t have broken into the international scene.

Shaheen Afridi also realises the same and he thanked the 49-year-old on his official Twitter handle for handpicking and nurturing him. “A legend bid farewell today to Pakistan cricket – A #ManofSteel, a visionary. I could not have played for Pakistan this early if it was not for you. You handpick me, nurtured me and patted my back when I needed it the most. #ThankYouInzamam bhai – Thank YOU #Legend #RiseAndRise,” Afridi’s tweet read.

Shaheen Afridi is now expected to play in the next series as well and Pakistan will have to keep an eye on his fitness and make sure that he doesn’t get burned out playing too much cricket.

Here’s his tweet:

A legend bid farewell today to Pakistan cricket – A #ManofSteel, a visionary. I could not have played for Pakistan this early, if it was not for you. You hand pick me, nurtured me and patted my back when I needed it the most. #ThankYouInzamam bhai – Thank YOU #Legend #RiseAndRise pic.twitter.com/iUu2U3AuJa

— Shaheen Shah Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) July 17, 2019