Shaheen Afridi celebrated his 50 with a ‘shut up’ gesture as a direct response to Wasim Akram’s criticism of him.
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024 got heated up both on and off the field. While the top six teams have secured their spots, a controversy between Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Afridi and legendary Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram has captured attention.
The controversy reportedly began following Afridi’s decision to promote himself up the batting order during a match against the Karachi Kings. Akram, a former national captain, and commentator, publicly criticized the move on a sports show, ‘The Pavilion’.
The former cricketer stated, “It’s not mandatory that if you are captain, you have to come out to bat. Observe the situation & whether there are better players & hitters in the dugout. Shaheen needs to be told that he hasn’t become an all-rounder yet.”
Afridi appeared to respond directly to Akram’s criticism during the next match against the Quetta Gladiators. He batted at the same number five position and bagged a 50, followed by a celebratory gesture interpreted as a “shut up” message for Wasim Akram. Watch the video below:
Belting them out of the park! 💪
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 10, 2024
5️⃣0️⃣ 🆙 for skipper Shaheen ©️#HBLPSL9 | #KhulKeKhel | #QGvLQ pic.twitter.com/grsh4f1VSh
However, the match ultimately ended in disappointment for Afridi. Despite his efforts, Lahore Qalandars lost on the very last ball after Afridi himself failed to defend the team’s total during his final over. Akram wasted no time in resuming his critique, this time focusing on Afridi’s bowling performance.
“He wanted to bowl a length ball, but instead he should have bowled full. It doesn’t matter if he would have conceded a boundary through the edge. I think it is a learning curve for Shaheen. Even with the new ball, we all were watching it together, he was bowling half volleys. He needs to understand that batsmen now have understood that the first two balls from Shaheen will be yorkers. In the death, he will either bowl slower cutter or will on the stumps around the wicket. Batsmen are prepared for it now,” the former Pakistan captain concluded.
With the playoffs set to begin on March 14th, Afridi and his team, the Lahore Qalandars, finished at the bottom of the table after only managing one win in ten matches.
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Last Updated on March 12, 2024
