- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Runs
- 3,238
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Press Conference (Ahead of Pakistan vs South Africa 1st ODI):
“It’s an honour for me to represent Pakistan as captain. Of course, even as a player it’s always special to wear the Pakistan shirt, but leading the national side is a different kind of pride altogether.”
“This is my first series as captain, and I’m looking forward to it. We had a good outing in the previous series, and the team is in positive spirits. Hopefully, we’ll carry that momentum into this series as well.”
“The weather conditions are much better now compared to the last tournament, where it was extremely hot and no team wanted to bowl first. Bowling 50 overs in that kind of heat was very tough. But now the conditions are improving, although in the evening the ball might get a little wet due to dew. We’ll assess the conditions on match day and decide accordingly.”
“About the batting order, I think there’s a bit of misunderstanding. In New Zealand, I didn’t make those changes on my own. As captain, I try to send players according to their proper batting numbers. Cricket is a team game — decisions are taken collectively with the management and the head coach. If it was an individual game, I’d be playing a different sport altogether,”
“Every team goes through phases where a few players struggle. You only have two or three who perform consistently in every series. Babar’s last innings was really good — it must have given him confidence that he’s getting back to his best. Just because he didn’t score runs in two or three matches doesn’t mean he’s out of form. He’s been performing for Pakistan for four or five years, always among the top scorers — whether in ODIs or T20s. He has that ability to score runs and win games for the team.”
“Whenever our senior players have performed, Pakistan has won. That’s always satisfying because as a senior player, it’s your responsibility to finish the match. Babar showed that in the last game. As for me, I always try to lead from the front — whether I’m captain or not — and contribute to my team’s success whenever I get the opportunity.”
“It’s an honour for me to represent Pakistan as captain. Of course, even as a player it’s always special to wear the Pakistan shirt, but leading the national side is a different kind of pride altogether.”
“This is my first series as captain, and I’m looking forward to it. We had a good outing in the previous series, and the team is in positive spirits. Hopefully, we’ll carry that momentum into this series as well.”
“The weather conditions are much better now compared to the last tournament, where it was extremely hot and no team wanted to bowl first. Bowling 50 overs in that kind of heat was very tough. But now the conditions are improving, although in the evening the ball might get a little wet due to dew. We’ll assess the conditions on match day and decide accordingly.”
“About the batting order, I think there’s a bit of misunderstanding. In New Zealand, I didn’t make those changes on my own. As captain, I try to send players according to their proper batting numbers. Cricket is a team game — decisions are taken collectively with the management and the head coach. If it was an individual game, I’d be playing a different sport altogether,”
“Every team goes through phases where a few players struggle. You only have two or three who perform consistently in every series. Babar’s last innings was really good — it must have given him confidence that he’s getting back to his best. Just because he didn’t score runs in two or three matches doesn’t mean he’s out of form. He’s been performing for Pakistan for four or five years, always among the top scorers — whether in ODIs or T20s. He has that ability to score runs and win games for the team.”
“Whenever our senior players have performed, Pakistan has won. That’s always satisfying because as a senior player, it’s your responsibility to finish the match. Babar showed that in the last game. As for me, I always try to lead from the front — whether I’m captain or not — and contribute to my team’s success whenever I get the opportunity.”
