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Shaheen Shah Afridi raring for comeback in PSL8 

Web Desk 01:43 PM | 1 Feb, 2023
Shaheen Shah Afridi raring for comeback in PSL8 

LAHORE – It was at the start of April in 2018 when a lanky teenager by the name of Shaheen Shah Afridi received international cap from Pakistan legend Wasim Akram at Karachi’s National Bank Cricket Arena. He had showed glimpses of brilliance in the last two months – during what was his maiden HBL Pakistan Super League season – that catapulted him to the national side. The highlight was his five-wicket haul at Dubai against Multan Sultans, which saw him become one of the only two bowlers that season to bag five wickets in an innings. 

Shaheen never looked back from that moment, establishing himself as an all-format bowler for Pakistan and, subsequently, the leader of the Pakistan bowling attack. Such was his utility for Pakistan that before the first Galle Test in which he injured his right knee by landing awkwardly while attempting a dive at the boundary in July last year, he had taken the most wickets (204) behind Australia’s Pat Cummins’ 209 across all three international formats. He was so lethal that his strike rate of 35.4 was the best in international cricket amongst the fast bowlers with at least a thousand overs.  

The fourth morning of that Test, however, put a halt on an ever-progressing career. Shaheen was back in Pakistan colours in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia last year and his bowling form grew proportionally with the matches he played, before a freak twist while completing that famous Harry Brook catch at Melbourne in the final sent him back to rehabilitation. 

While the sight of Shaheen limping off the field broke millions of Pakistani hearts, it was the beginning of a struggle for a bowler who since his Pakistan debut had done nothing but bowl in heaps. 

“There were times when I wanted to give up,” Shaheen, who now has checked all the requisites for his return to competitive cricket, tells PCB Digital. “I was working on only one muscle and it was not improving. Often during the rehabilitation sessions, I used to say to myself ‘this is enough, I cannot do this anymore’. 

“But then I used to watch my bowling on YouTube and see how well I had done and that motivated me and I told myself ‘to push a little more’ … It is frustrating for a fast bowler to miss cricket because of an injury.”

While there is no good time to be injured, Shaheen’s had come at a time when Pakistan were scheduled for their biggest home season in over a decade with seven T20Is and three Tests against England followed by two Tests and three One-Day Internationals against New Zealand. Shaheen missed all 15 games. 

“It is tough when you miss your home games because of the injury,” he says. “Before our Test home season, I even missed the seven England T20Is. I was more distressed for missing the Tests, because I like Test cricket more. A bowler is measured on how he performs in Test cricket and I wanted to take wickets against England.”

Was there any moment during the 2022-23 home season that made him want to get in the Pakistan colours? “It came when I was watching the [Multan Test] match and our tailenders were not able to finish the game. I wanted to hit a few sixes there and finish the match for Pakistan,” he chuckles. “Also, when they [England] were scoring a lot of runs, I wanted to give my input with the ball.”

Shaheen made sure to remain in touch with the bowlers. “It is tough to switch from the white ball cricket to red ball cricket as the demands of the Test format are totally different from the limited overs. I was in touch with the boys over phone. Naseem bowls really quick and mentally he is very sharp and understands he needs to be done. I used to speak with Haris Rauf daily. I remained in touch with our other bowlers as well, who played in the Tests.”

Amongst those who made their HBL PSL debuts in 2018, the Lahore Qalandars captain has the most wickets (70). He is third on the list of the highest wicket-takers in the tournament history behind Wahab Riaz (103) and Hasan Ali (81) who have played 27 and 14 more matches than him. 

In a year when Pakistan will begin their third ICC World Test Championship cycle and play 50-over Asia Cup and World Cup, Shaheen could not have asked for a better stage to make his return than HBL PSL that will test his fitness and skills to the hilt. 

“HBL PSL is one of the best leagues in the world and the quality of cricket tests you as a bowler. I am very excited to be making my comeback here and look forward to all the challenges that it will throw at me. Thanks to Almighty, I am doing well. I am ticking both the bowling workload and fitness requirement boxes.”

Lahore Qalandars will begin their title defence from 13 February when they take on Multan Sultans in the tournament opener in Multan. 

Web Desk
Web Desk

Daily Pakistan Global Web Desk

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Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal rates on June 7, 2023

KARACHI - Following are the foreign currency exchange rates for US Dollar, Saudi Riyal, UK Pound Sterling, U.A.E. Dirham, European Euro, and other foreign currencies in Pakistan open market on June 07, 2023 (Wednesday).

Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar ‎USD 302.9 306.15
Euro EUR 321 324
UK Pound Sterling GBP 376 380
U.A.E Dirham AED 83 84
Saudi Riyal SAR 79.2 81
Australian Dollar AUD 202 204
Bahrain Dinar BHD 759.46 767.46
Canadian Dollar CAD 227 230
China Yuan CNY 40.28 40.68
Danish Krone DKK 41.09 41.49
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.4 36.75
Indian Rupee INR 3.46 3.57
Japanese Yen JPY 1.98 2.06
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 928.09 937.09
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 61.94 62.54
New Zealand Dollar NZD 173.16 175.16
Norwegians Krone NOK 25.88 26.18
Omani Riyal OMR 742.38 750.38
Qatari Riyal ‎QAR 78.38 79.08
Singapore Dollar SGD 222.5 225
Swedish Korona SEK 26.36 26.65
Swiss Franc CHF 313.87 316.35
Thai Bhat THB 8.21 8.36

Today's gold rates in Pakistan | gold price in Pakistan – June 7, 2023

Gold Rate Today:

KARACHI – The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs 226,100 on Wednesday. The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs193,850.   

Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs 177,695 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 207, 257.

Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.

Gold Price in Pakistan: Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Karachi PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Islamabad PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Peshawar PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Quetta PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Sialkot PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Attock PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Gujranwala PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Jehlum PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Multan PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Bahawalpur PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Gujrat PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Nawabshah PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Chakwal PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Hyderabad PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Nowshehra PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Sargodha PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Faisalabad PKR 226,100 PKR 2125
Mirpur PKR 226,100 PKR 2125

Daily Pakistan diligently monitors and updates the current gold rates in Pakistan on a daily basis

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