Pakistan’s left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi is geared up to lead the Lions in the forthcoming Champions One-Day Cup scheduled at the Iqbal Stadium.
Shaheen is set to guide his team under the mentorship of former Pakistan Waqar Younis.
In regard to this, the pacer expressed: “Leading the Lions will be a thrilling experience for me, especially given the high stakes of the Champions One-Day Cup and the presence of several young and exciting players on our roster. I look forward to giving my best to the team — with the ball, the bat, and through my leadership throughout the tournament.”
Continuing with his conversation, Shaheen, 24, recalled his debut in the domestic One-Day Cup in 2018.
“I have great memories of playing the One-Day Cup in Faisalabad as an 18-year-old in 2018. Returning here as captain with a wealth of international experience feels surreal. I’m committed to helping create memorable experiences for all the young players on our team,” he said.
Reflecting on the challenge ahead, the Lahore Qalandars captain emphasised the importance of preparation for the forthcoming tournament.
“Our opening game is against a strong Stallions squad, which shows the level of competition we will face game after game. That’s why I firmly believe our preparations must be spot-on so we can hit the ground running,” he concluded.
Earlier in August, the 24-year-old was dropped from the second Test against Bangladesh.
"We've had a good conversation with him, and he fully understands and appreciates the thinking behind it. Shaheen's been given some feedback. He's working on some things with his bowling to be as effective as he possibly can be. He's working really well with Azhar Mahmood. We want to see Shaheen at his best because we've got a lot of cricket in all formats and Shaheen's going to play a really big role in that," Pakistan's red-ball coach Jason Gillespie said.
Lions provisional squad (to be trimmed to 15 on 10 September):
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain, Peshawar), Abdullah Shafique (Sialkot), Aamir Jamal (Islamabad), Aamer Yamin (Multan), Faisal Akram (Multan), Hassan Nawaz (Islamabad), Hunain Shah (Lahore), Imam-ul-Haq (Lahore), Imran Butt (Lahore), Khushdil Shah (Bannu), Mohammad Asghar (Karachi), Muhammad Irfan Khan (Mianwali), Mohammad Taha (Karachi), Omair Bin Yousuf (Karachi), Rohail Nazir (Islamabad), Shahab Khan (Mardan), Sharoon Siraj (Sahiwal), Sirajuddin (Bajaur) and Waqar Hussain (Okara)
Mentor – Waqar Younis
Lions’ Match Schedule:
• 13 Sep: Stallions vs. Lions (Day/Night, 3 PM)
• 16 Sep: Lions vs. Panthers (Day, 9:30 AM)
• 20 Sep: Lions vs. Wolves (Day/Night, 3 PM)
• 22 Sep: Dolphins vs. Lions (Day/Night, 3 PM)
- Shaheen Afridi
