Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi on Saturday advised pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to prioritise his bowling over batting.
Afridi shared his opinion while replying to a tweet by all-rounder Shadab Khan in which Shaheen could be seen hitting boundaries during the fourth match of the ODI series against New Zealand.
"My expectations from Shaheen is first to perform with the ball because [Pakistan] depends on his early breakthrough," Afridi tweeted.
"I know he is working hard on his batting as well and we have seen what he can do," he added.
Shaheen, who leads Pakistan in the bowling department, had earlier said that he wanted to help the Men in Green win with his batting skills.
“I’m gradually learning the art of batting so that it helps Pakistan. I would like to win matches for Pakistan regardless of my batting position,” the 23-year-old speedster had said ahead of the series with Black Caps.
Shaheen had said that he had an interest in batting since his U19 days but never gave it a chance. However, that has changed recently, as he did a lot of batting practice during his rehab.
Moreover, Afridi also said that he has expectations from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab to perform to their full potential as they both have "key roles".
The cricketer also wished them the best of luck for the fifth and final match of the series.
Pakistan have already won the series after taking a 4-0 lead with comprehensive victories in previous matches.
In order to cement their place at the top, Pakistan will have to win the series 5-0. A defeat in the last ODI will see them drop to number three spot with Australia reclaiming their number one ranking.
Pakistan will also remain on top if they bag a victory in the fourth ODI and the fifth match is abandoned or ends in a no-result.
Additionally, Pakistan captain Babar Azam will complete 100 ODI matches by participating in Sunday’s fixture at the National Bank Cricket Arena. The prolific right-hander made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore almost eight years ago.
- Shahid Afridi