After a string of losses, Babar Azam-led Pakistan finally managed to get back to winning ways at the ODI World Cup 2023. After losing four consecutive games in the prestigious tournament, the Men in Green took on Bangladesh in the 31st game of the World Cup.
Taking on the Shakib Al Hasan-led side, Pakistan registered a comfortable seven-wicket victory as they chased down a target of 205 runs. However, it is worth noting that ace pacer Shaheen Afridi was influential for his side and one of the biggest reasons why Pakistan went on to win the game.
Bowling nine overs in the first innings, Afridi conceded just 23 runs and took three brilliant wickets. Furthermore, he also became the fastest pacer to complete 100 wickets in ODIs in only his 51st match. Speaking of the same, Afridi came forward to state that the records are meant to be broken and credited his success to former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi.
“Records are meant to be broken, and it’s a happy occasion that we’ve set records for Pakistan. Shahid Afridi always gives us tips; he is my hero. My effort is to play cricket like him,” Shaheen was quoted as saying by IndiaToday.
We still aim to finish in the top four: Afridi
Furthermore, Shaheen Afridi also talked of Pakistan’s goal at the ODI World Cup 2023. He opined that the side were not up to par when they lost consecutive games in the tournament, but after the win against Bangladesh, Afridi looked confident to progress in the knockout stages.
“We still aim to finish in the top four. Our effort today was to finish the match quickly and improve the net run-rate. We didn’t perform well in the last few matches as a team; there were some costly errors. Some catches were dropped, and better fielding could have led to better results,” Shaheen Afridi said.
For their next assignment, Pakistan will be gearing up to take on New Zealand. Both sides will take centre stage in the 35th game of the tournament on Saturday, November 4.