Former India captain Kapil Dev said Shaheen Shah Afridi is a better bowler than Mohammed Shami. India will face Pakistan in the their opening match of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), on Sunday.
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Shami, who has replaced injured Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian team has not played a single T2OI for one year. But the 33-year-old did exceptionally well against Australia in the warm-up match. With eleven needed in the last over, Rohit Sharma gave the ball to Shami, took three wickets and affected one run out as India won the match.
“You can’t judge anything by just one over,” Kapil said in a joint broadcast of Samaa TV and ABP News.
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Kapil feels there should be no comparison between Shami and Shaheen. He said: “I wouldn’t even like to compare (Shami and Shaheen). Shami hasn’t played a lot of cricket of late. I would have perhaps compared Bumrah with Shaheen if he was there but can’t compare Shami and Afridi because there is a lot of difference.”
“Looking at the performances of the last two years, Shaheen has been very good. Whenever he has got an opportunity, he has made an impact,” he added.
Inching closer to a cracking contest! ⏳
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We’re all set for #INDvPAK 🙌🏻
🏟 Melbourne Cricket Ground
⏰1:30 PM IST #TeamIndia | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/iWoQtmaLzz— BCCI (@BCCI) October 23, 2022
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However, former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed feels India will not miss Bumrah.
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“India would have missed Bumrah on the flat tracks, where you will need some extra pace,” said Aaqib Javed.
“In Australia, the season has just started. The pitches are fresh, and there will be a lot of swing and seam movement. Shami and Bhuvneshwar are good seam bowlers, maybe they would have struggled on the flat track but not in these pitches.
Javed said the bowlers, who can move the ball, will have a more impact in the tournament.
“Bowlers who can swing the ball will be more successful. Shami is one of the finest when it comes to swing and seam and I think he will make an impact,” he added.
