Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is upbeat ahead of his comeback in Test cricket during the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka.
Afridi will don the whites for Pakistan after almost a year since he was on the sidelines due to a knee injury.
“I am very excited to be making my Test comeback in the country where I was injured. Injuries are part of an athlete’s life, but it is good to be back. I enjoy red-ball cricket a lot and I am one wicket away from a century of Test wickets, which would be a big achievement for me,” Shaheen told PCB Digital.
“It takes time to get used to red-ball cricket after playing white-ball. But the Karachi camp proved beneficial for me. Test cricket demands patience and you have to work in partnerships with fellow bowlers. Over the last year, I have played more white-ball matches, but when I was playing in the United Kingdom, I bowled extra overs after matches – even with the red ball – to meet the desired workload.
“It seems like yesterday when I was injured. I will be making my Test return at the same ground where I was injured. I was talking to our physiotherapist about it. It is a matter of pride to represent Pakistan in any format and I enjoy playing for Pakistan. I hope we will have a good beginning to this cycle of the World Test Championship and we will qualify for the final, something we have missed on in the last two iterations.”
The lanky pacer, who has 99 wickets in 25 Tests, is also keen on completing his century of wickets in the longest format of the game, during the Sri Lanka series, after waiting for a long time.
“There is a lot of excitement [for that 100th wicket]. I was only one wicket away and the new ball was about to be available,” he said while recalling the first Test against Galle 12 months ago. “I was planning to utilise the new ball to reach that milestone, but I got injured before we got the new ball. So, I have had to wait a lot. It is very tough to be away from cricket, but time has helped me learn a lot, which will help me perform well for Pakistan across formats.”
Itinerary of Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka:
9 July – Pakistan land in Colombo
11 and 12 July – Warm-up game
16-20 July – First Test at Galle International Cricket Stadium
24-28 July – Second Test at Singhalese Sports Club, Colombo
- Shaheen Afridi