Not Virat Kohli, Shaheen Afridi Picks 'Most Difficult' Batter He Faced, Who Is 'Tougher' Than The India Great
Shaheen Afridi will be a crucial cog in Pakistan's wheel when the Asia Cup starts next week
- Shaheen Afridi was asked about the most difficult batter he has faced in international cricket
- “Hashim Amla. I've played Test matches and ODIs against him, and he's a tough competitor," he replied
- The pacer also reasoned, "Virat Kohli is a different player, but Hashim bhai is tougher than him.”
Shaheen Afridi will be a crucial cog in Pakistan's wheel when the Asia Cup starts next week. However, the world will not get to see his duel with Virat Kohli, as the Indian great has retired from T20Is. In six innings, Kohli scored 88 runs against Afridi and was dismissed twice. That contest will no longer be seen in T20Is. However, Kohli is still active in ODIs, and if he continues playing until the 2027 ODI World Cup, there's still a chance that the world will witness the duel between the two players again.
In a recent podcast, Afridi was asked about the most difficult batter he has faced, and surprisingly, the name he mentioned was from neither India, Australia, nor England. “Hashim Amla. I've played Test matches and ODIs against him, and he's a tough competitor. I also played a match against him in the Vitality Blast — a Twenty20 cricket tournament in England. I felt that he's a very good batsman, and he is excellent at what he does,” Afridi said.
“Virat Kohli is a different player, but Hashim bhai is tougher than him. Absolute toughest.”
Last month, Afridi achieved a historic feat during the first ODI against West Indies in Trinidad. Opting to bowl, Pakistan bundled out West Indies for 280 after Evin Lewis, Roston Chase, and skipper Shai Hope hit half-centuries. In return, Pakistan chased down the target in 48.5 overs with five wickets in hand. Shaheen took four wickets and played a pivotal role in Pakistan's victory. With this four-wicket haul, Shaheen completed 131 wickets after playing 65 ODI matches.
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Shaheen has now become the highest wicket-taker after 65 ODI matches. The second highest number of wickets after playing 65 ODIs were taken by Rashid Khan, who took 128 wickets. Afridi is currently playing the T20I tri-series in UAE, where Pakistan will face Afghanistan in the final on Sunday.
Shaheen Afridi
Virat Kohli
Pakistan Cricket Team
India Cricket Team
Hashim Amla