New Delhi: Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi has opened up about the influence Australian left-arm quick Mitchell Starc has had on his rise in international cricket, crediting the senior pacer for shaping key elements of his bowling craft.
Starc, who debuted for Australia in 2010, recently surpassed Pakistan legend Wasim Akram for the most Test wickets by a left-arm quick. And while Afridi still has years ahead of him to chase such milestones, the 24-year-old pacer said the Australian has already played a defining role in his development.
Afridi recalled being a teenager during Starc’s dominant ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign on home soil in 2015, where the Australian spearhead finished as the joint leading wicket-taker in a title-winning side.
“He’s a legend,” Afridi said ahead of his first appearance in Australia’s Big Bash League. “When ‘Starcy’ played that 2015 World Cup, I was playing for the Under 16 Pakistan team at that time, so...I followed him to try to bowl many times the way he swung the ball. He bowled a fuller ball throughout that World Cup and had very good success,” Afridi stated.
The 25-year-old pacer said watching Starc at close quarters, even if only from afar, helped him understand the value of attacking lengths for left-arm quicks. It is a lesson he carries with him to this day.
Shaheen, now a senior figure in his national setup, continues to draw inspiration from the bowler he once studied as a teenager. IANS
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