Salman Butt, the former Pakistan skipper, recently picked Mohammad Amir as the more skilful bowler than Shaheen Shah Afridi while comparing Pakistan’s star left-arm pacers.
Salman Butt stated that Mohammad Amir was ready for international cricket right from the moment he made his debut.
He mentioned that Shaheen Shah Afridi, on the other hand, took some time before finally finding his feet at the highest level.
Salman Butt Reckons Mohammad Amir Was More Skillful Than Shaheen Shah Afridi As A Youngster But The Latter Doesn’t Have Support Of Other Pacers Especially In Tests
The 38-year-old, however, suggested that there wasn’t much to differentiate between the two fast bowlers.
Salman Butt claimed that Mohammad Amir had an advantage as he had the support of other bowlers, while Shaheen Shah Afridi didn’t have that luxury.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “As a youngster, Mohammad Amir was more skillful than Shaheen Afridi. He was a finished product right from the start. Shaheen too is not that far behind. It was just a matter of six months or so. With Amir, he had the support of a lot of other bowlers. However, Shaheen is alone, especially when it comes to the longer format. He has to carry all the weight himself.”
Notably, Mohammad Amir last played for Pakistan in 2020 during a T20I fixture against England. He announced his retirement from international cricket soon after, citing a lack of opportunities. The discarded seamer could make his return to the team following Ramiz Raja’s exit from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He was also recently given permission to train at the National High-Performance Centre in Lahore.
The left-arm-pacer Mohammad Amir has represented Pakistan in 36 Test matches, 61 ODIs, and 50 T20Is before announcing his retirement. He has also played for Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Karachi Kings. In addition, he has recently played for Barbados Royals during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2021.
He was a part of the playing XI that played in the second T20I of the series in Manchester on August 30, 2020. He represented Pakistan in 36 Tests and took 119 wickets at an average of 30.47. He also featured in 61 ODIs and claimed 81 wickets at an average of 29.62. He represented the Pakistan cricket team in 50 T20I matches, scalping 59 wickets at an economy rate of 7.02.
Salman Butt Reckons Mohammad Amir And Shaheen Shah Afridi Can Surely Play Together
Salman Butt further stated that there is no reason why both Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi can’t play together in the current Pakistan team. He mentioned that both bowlers are proven campaigners, and the two can surely be accommodated in the playing XI at once.
Salman Butt added: “It wouldn’t be fair to draw a comparison between Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir. They are both very talented bowlers. Why can’t both of them play together? You have to bowl at both ends, not just one. They can surely play together.”
Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi has been on the sidelines due to a knee injury and was not a part of the team’s recently concluded home series against New Zealand. The Babar Azam-led side performed underwhelmingly against the Kiwis and suffered a 2-1 ODI series defeat.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was last seen in action in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and since then he has been out with a knee injury.
The knee issues have troubled the young left-arm pacer for quite some time as he also missed the Asia Cup 2022 and the home T20I series against England ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 due to a knee injury. He is expected to return to competitive cricket during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight, which will begin on February 13.
