Shahid Afridi may play for Melbourne in Big Bash
KARACHI: He may have been out of favour with Pakistan’s cricket chiefs but Shahid Afridi is in great demand because of his Twenty20 prowess.
The star allrounder is currently featuring prominently in Hampshire’s English Twenty20 title campaign and will later be leading a franchise in the inaugural edition of the Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL) in July-August.
And now Australia’s cricket officials are lining up to sign up Afridi for this year’s Big Bash Twenty20 competition in December.
Though several teams are interested in roping in Afridi, the former Pakistan captain is likely to sign up for a Melbourne team for the eight-side spectacle.
“I’m really interested in playing in the Big Bash,” Afridi told ‘The News’ from Southampton (England) in a telephonic interview. “It’s a great tournament and I really enjoyed playing in it a couple of years back,” said the player who featured in the 2009 event for South Australia.
Afridi said that he is in talks with Melbourne cricket officials and is hoping for a positive outcome soon.
Last month, Stuart Clark, general manager of the Sydney Sixers, revealed that he would be interested in speaking to Afridi for this year’s event.
Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide also hinted that a Melbourne team might rope in Afridi for the Big Bash.
Meanwhile, in Southampton, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi again played the starring role as Hampshire beat Sussex by 35 runs to return to the top of the table in the FL T20 South Group on Monday night.
The holders looked suspect when they could only muster 126-8 at The Rose Bowl, Afridi top scoring with 29.
But, after looking well set at 52-1, Sussex surrendered feebly, losing their last nine wickets for 39 runs.
Afridi took a miserly 3-10 from his three overs as Sussex were bowled out for 91, with 13 balls unused.
When Hampshire batted, they struggled against the spin of Monty Panesar and Ollie Rayner, while Umar Gul and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan took two wickets each towards the end.
Sussex then looked to be coasting with only 75 needed and nine wickets still in hand in the seventh over, but Afridi triggered the collapse when he had Lou Vincent caught in the deep.
And the rest followed, offering minimal resistance against Afridi and Imran Tahir, the Pakistan-born South Africa spinner.
Afridi has now taken nine wickets in three Twenty20 matches for Hampshire, eight of them at The Rose Bowl, following his stunning home debut when he collected 5-20 in the rain-affected win over Gloucestershire on Friday night.
Hampshire’s seventh win in 10 games places them two points clear of nearest South Group challengers Somerset and Sussex. They have not been beaten in a T20 fixture on home turf since they entertained Middlesex on July 16 last season.
Afridi would love to see Hampshire continue to delight their home fans and set a new record with a derby success tonight. And while he recognises the need to perform well in front of the home faithful, the 31-year-old leg-spinner believes his new club is a match for anyone wherever they play.
“Every game we play is important to us,” said Afridi. “Obviously if you are playing at home it is important to do well for the crowd.
“They seem to be enjoying their cricket at the moment.
“But definitely if you are able to win matches away from home then it can really boost the team as well.
“It is a very good sign if you can perform well and win a game away from home. So Iíll be trying my level best to win cricket matches for Hampshire, whether they are at the Rose Bowl or outside.”
The star allrounder is currently featuring prominently in Hampshire’s English Twenty20 title campaign and will later be leading a franchise in the inaugural edition of the Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL) in July-August.
And now Australia’s cricket officials are lining up to sign up Afridi for this year’s Big Bash Twenty20 competition in December.
Though several teams are interested in roping in Afridi, the former Pakistan captain is likely to sign up for a Melbourne team for the eight-side spectacle.
“I’m really interested in playing in the Big Bash,” Afridi told ‘The News’ from Southampton (England) in a telephonic interview. “It’s a great tournament and I really enjoyed playing in it a couple of years back,” said the player who featured in the 2009 event for South Australia.
Afridi said that he is in talks with Melbourne cricket officials and is hoping for a positive outcome soon.
Last month, Stuart Clark, general manager of the Sydney Sixers, revealed that he would be interested in speaking to Afridi for this year’s event.
Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide also hinted that a Melbourne team might rope in Afridi for the Big Bash.
Meanwhile, in Southampton, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi again played the starring role as Hampshire beat Sussex by 35 runs to return to the top of the table in the FL T20 South Group on Monday night.
The holders looked suspect when they could only muster 126-8 at The Rose Bowl, Afridi top scoring with 29.
But, after looking well set at 52-1, Sussex surrendered feebly, losing their last nine wickets for 39 runs.
Afridi took a miserly 3-10 from his three overs as Sussex were bowled out for 91, with 13 balls unused.
When Hampshire batted, they struggled against the spin of Monty Panesar and Ollie Rayner, while Umar Gul and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan took two wickets each towards the end.
Sussex then looked to be coasting with only 75 needed and nine wickets still in hand in the seventh over, but Afridi triggered the collapse when he had Lou Vincent caught in the deep.
And the rest followed, offering minimal resistance against Afridi and Imran Tahir, the Pakistan-born South Africa spinner.
Afridi has now taken nine wickets in three Twenty20 matches for Hampshire, eight of them at The Rose Bowl, following his stunning home debut when he collected 5-20 in the rain-affected win over Gloucestershire on Friday night.
Hampshire’s seventh win in 10 games places them two points clear of nearest South Group challengers Somerset and Sussex. They have not been beaten in a T20 fixture on home turf since they entertained Middlesex on July 16 last season.
Afridi would love to see Hampshire continue to delight their home fans and set a new record with a derby success tonight. And while he recognises the need to perform well in front of the home faithful, the 31-year-old leg-spinner believes his new club is a match for anyone wherever they play.
“Every game we play is important to us,” said Afridi. “Obviously if you are playing at home it is important to do well for the crowd.
“They seem to be enjoying their cricket at the moment.
“But definitely if you are able to win matches away from home then it can really boost the team as well.
“It is a very good sign if you can perform well and win a game away from home. So Iíll be trying my level best to win cricket matches for Hampshire, whether they are at the Rose Bowl or outside.”
Published by Unknown
on 03:58.
Filed under
.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0
