Shaheen warns best yet to come after leading Pakistan into T20 semis

Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi (R) celebrates after taking a wicket against Bangladesh during the ICC men's Twenty20 World Cup 2022 cricket at Adelaide Oval, Australia, on November 6, 2022 in Adelaide. (PCB/Twitter)
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Updated 06 November 2022
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Shaheen warns best yet to come after leading Pakistan into T20 semis

  • The left-arm pacer rattled the Bangladesh batsmen with his swing and seam, restricting them to 127-8
  • The 22-year-old missed the Asia Cup with a knee injury and is still working his way back to full fitness

Adelaide: Shaheen Shah Afridi warned he is still not back to his fearsome best even after leading Pakistan into the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals with figures of 4-22 against Bangladesh on Sunday. 

The left-arm frontline fast bowler rattled the opposition batsmen with his swing and seam in Adelaide to limit Bangladesh to 127-8 as Pakistan won the do-or-die clash by five wickets. 

The 22-year-old missed the recent Asia Cup with a knee injury and is still working his way back to full fitness after being out of action for three months. 

"It is not easy to come back from such an injury," Shaheen said. 

"I can only give my 100 percent on the field, and I am trying. This injury needed time, I think I came (back) early as it is a World Cup and the team needs me." 

Shaheen struggled for wickets early in the tournament as Pakistan suffered losses to India and then Zimbabwe in Group 2. 

But he seemed to have found rhythm in a win over the Netherlands and came into his own with a match-winning 3-14 against South Africa, a victory that revived their campaign. 

Pakistan's last Super 12 match turned out to be a virtual quarter-final after the Netherlands stunned South Africa in the earlier game. 

 

Shaheen rose to the challenge after Bangladesh elected to bat first and sent back Liton Das for 10 in the third over. 

It was his double strike in the 17th over that broke Bangladesh's back and he took one more to bag four wickets for the first time in T20 internationals. 

"I am not bowling at 150 kph like Haris (Rauf)," Shaheen said. 

"Even before I bowled at 135-140 kph. (Earlier) I felt a pinch during run-up but now feeling much better. 

"Staying in the room for two-three months with an injury affects your mind." 

He added: "I believed that I would come back and my efforts would pay dividends." 

It has not been the best of tournaments for star batsman and skipper Babar Azam, who made a laboured 25 off 33 balls after scores of 0, four, four and six. 

But Shaheen praised the team's comeback and the captain for his support. 

"The credit goes to the whole team. We played good cricket. The games we lost were decided on the last ball, but still we played good cricket," said Shaheen. 

"We didn't get the results in our favour but a good team never falls after a loss. 

"The captain plays a big role to lift the team and support us. We are backing each other and as a result we have won here." 


Real Madrid weigh Mbappe gamble ahead of Spanish Super Cup final

Updated 11 sec ago
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Real Madrid weigh Mbappe gamble ahead of Spanish Super Cup final

Real Madrid could unleash their biggest weapon in Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona, with coach Xabi Alonso ​saying they are considering taking a risk on Kylian Mbappe’s fitness after he missed the semifinal. Mbappe, who matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record of 59 goals in a calendar year during Real’s 2-0 LaLiga win over Sevilla last month, is nursing a knee injury.
The France forward, who has scored 12 goals in nine matches ‌against Barcelona, ‌flew to Saudi Arabia on Friday ‌to ⁠join ​the ‌squad ahead of the El Clasico showdown in Jeddah.
“He’s much better,” Alonso told reporters. “Against Atletico, he was just about ready, and we decided not to rush him, but we kept in mind that he might be able to play in the final.
“He flew yesterday and will train with ⁠the team today. We’ll assess him and decide whether he’ll start or ‌play a little less. It’s a ‍decision we’ll make with the ‍player, the coaches and the doctors. The moment we’re in ‍and what’s at stake ... It’s a controlled risk.”
Real beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Bernabeu in October after losing the Spanish Super Cup final and the Copa del Rey final to their ​arch-rivals last season.
“We’re focused on what we have to do and how to play the match,” ⁠Alonso said. “It will be a match with moments for everything. We have to have the necessary energy.”
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick described Mbappe as the best striker around.
“We’ll adapt a little, but so will Real Madrid,” the German said. “We have to play the way Barcelona always plays, with our style, which is different from Real Madrid’s.
Barcelona lead LaLiga with 49 points from 19 matches, four ahead of second-placed Real.
Flick confirmed Lamine Yamal was ready to start, having ‌come on as a substitute in Barcelona’s
5-0 semifinal thrashing of Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.