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Ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan`s premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi expressed his confidence in his fitness and that of his fellow teammates. The “Green Shirts” will lock horns with New Zealand on February 19 which will mark the beginning of the Champions Trophy 2025.
Before beginning their campaign to defend the Champions Trophy, the Pakistan team was heavily criticized by fans and former cricketers.
The fitness issues of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah was also under scrutiny. The questions started raising after Haris Rauf sustained a injury during Pakistan`s first match of the tri-series against New Zealand.
After delivering his seventh over, Rauf walked off the field with a side strain. The injury to the fast bowler occurred in the 37th over of the first innings when he held his knee after delivering the second ball and subsequently walked off the field in discomfort. Rauf did not come out to bat during Pakistan`s batting innings.
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Ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, Shaheen Shah Afridi brushed out all the speculations about fitness issues before getting engaged in the clash against New Zealand.
“I try to live in the present rather than the past or future. I find myself in good form and feel like I`m fully fit. There are always niggles and some pain for a fast bowler, but the physios are very good these days and can get us ready quite quickly. Our other fast bowlers are also in good shape, which is nice because you have to bowl in partnerships as a bowling unit. In the last few series and leagues, I have felt my body working well, and I feel like I`m in rhythm,” he said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Apart from fitness, Shaheen`s bowling speed has been closely observed, especially after his return from injury in 2022. After recovering from a knee injury in 2022, Shaheen`s speed has almost become a national obsession.
The young left-armer who used to test the speed gun with his scorching pace now usually clicks somewhere between 135 to 140 kph. Shaheen dismissed the talks about his speed by asserting he didn`t feel that his pace had dropped.
“People take a lot of interest in my speeds. But aside from the 2021 T20 World Cup, if you look at my bowling, I bowl between 135-137kph in the first over. But people notice it now and think my pace is down. But I`ve never felt my pace is down in a way that it is stopping me from getting wickets. The body is a bit like a machine and can break down. Sometimes you get fatigued, and you can`t show it because you have to do what the team requires of you,” he added.
(With ANI Inputs)
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