Shahid Afridi reveals his discussion with Shadab Khan following poor bowling form

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has revealed that he had a conversation with all-rounder Shadab Khan following his poor performance against England in the second T20I which took place in Birmingham on Saturday.

Shadab conceded 55 runs in four overs without taking a single wicket which was his worst bowling figure in T20I cricket. In the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021, Shadab bowled the exact same figures during the match against Peshawar Zalmi.

Afridi, while talking to a local news channel, revealed he had a chat with Shadab after the match yesterday where he tried to give him confidence and told him what he was doing wrong with the ball.

“I need Shadab to deliver with the ball. Whenever he has performed with the ball, Pakistan have won. I have watched all of his matches in the past. We had a detailed chat yesterday, I asked him who is guiding him or if there is something he is not doing, how are you making such mistakes is there no one to tell you?” Afridi said.

“I called yesterday because I know he is going through a difficult time so I always try to help and motivate players who are having a hard time. Similarly, I talked with Shadab about what he is doing wrong and I hope that if he does [what he discussed] in training sessions, you will see the difference.”

He was then asked if there’s some mental block with Shadab to which he said: “Is there any leg-spin coach with the team? Saeed Ajmal was there but he was an off-spinner. Ajmal should be asked if he guided Shadab and why is he not doing what he was told.

“I know there must be tremendous pressure on Shadab but big players know how to pull themselves out of such situations. I shared with him one to two problems I found with his bowling and I’m hoping that he will work on those things.”

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