English pacer Stuart Broad has named Shaheen Afridi as one of his favourite bowlers.
Broad, who recently drew curtains on his international career, was present during The Hundred 2023 match between Southern Brave and Welsh Fire at The Rose Bowl in Southampton.
Broad, accompanied by Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, engaged in a chat with Afridi, ahead of contest match.
In an interaction on Sky Sports, Broad expressed his admiration for Afridi, underlining a “natural skill” possessed by the Pakistani speedster.
“Shaheen Afridi is one of my favourite bowlers to watch in the world. He has got such a great presence about him when he runs in. I love bowlers who run with energy. Afridi has got such a natural skill. The way that ball swings back into the right-handers is such a pleasure to watch. He’s one of the bowlers I admire and I want to see him do well,” Broad said.
The 37-year-old also hailed Shaheen for his exceptional ability to switch between the formats. Before coming to England for The Hundred, Afridi featured in a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka, taking six wickets.
According to Afridi, his participation in Test cricket has helped him to better his game since the format allows him “to bowl more overs” and “spend more time on the ground.”
A very candid chat from @iShaheenAfridi alongside @DineshKarthik and the great @StuartBroad8. Shaheen so rightly says about bowling longer spells in Test match cricket makes bowling in shorter formats easier. ☄️???????????? Clip courtesy @SkyCricket #TheHundred #CricketX… pic.twitter.com/TwdGTaOrrh— Kamran Ali (@Kam007_tweet) August 4, 2023
Shaheen’s response cleared the admiration is mutual.
“When I started playing Test matches, I used to watch you (Broad) and James Anderson bowling in Tests,” Shaheen said.
Earlier this year, the ace Pakistan fast bowler participated in the T20 Blast where he represented Nottingham Outlaws.
A few days back, the youngster made a roaring entry into The Hundred.
In his debut game against Manchester Originals, Afridi picked up back-to-back wickets in his very first over. His fiery spell helped Welsh Fire register a nine-run victory in the rain-interrupted clash.
Shaheen was comparatively quiet in the second match, which Welsh lost by two runs. He bowled 20 balls against Southern Brave and managed to claim a single scalp while giving away 16 runs. Despite the defeat, Welsh retained the top spot in the points table.
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