Pakistan lacks a finisher like Hardik Pandya: Shahid Afridi

image-l8kcvpg4Shahid Afridi said Pakistan do not have a player like Hardik Pandya | PC: Twitter

India star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has emerged as the "biggest asset" for the Men in Blue in the shortest format of the game. 

After being dropped out of the Indian side following his dismal outing in the T20I World Cup 2021, he made an astounding comeback and won the IPL title for Gujarat Titans. 

Ever since he made a return to the Indian side, he has furnished a string of stellar performances. Be it batting under pressure or chipping in with a couple of overs, the Baroda player has stepped up on multiple occasions to help team India cross the finish line.

The Gujarat captain played a terrific knock of unbeaten 71 off just 26 balls in the first T20I against Australia to put a formidable total on the board while in the decider, he showed nerves of steel and whacked the match-winning boundary when 4 runs were needed off 2 balls. 

In the current T20 arena, every team needs a player like Hardik Pandya, who can offer the skills in three dimensions i.e., batting, bowling, and fielding. 

Pakistan do not have a player like Hardik Pandya: Shahid Afridi

Weighing in on the same, former cricketer Shahid Afridi asserted that Pakistan need a player like Hardik Pandya in their team, who is capable of bowling a couple of overs and has the ability to finish off the games with the bat.

Speaking on a Samaa TV show, here is what Afridi had said: 

“This kind of a finisher (like Hardik Pandya) we don't have. We thought Asif Ali, and Khushdil would do the job, but they haven't. Nawaz is also not that consistent, and neither is Shadab. Among these four players, at least two need to be consistent. The period in which Shadab bowls is very crucial. The day he does a good job with the ball, Pakistan wins."

Pakistan need to work on their batting & bowling: Shahid Afridi

The former cricketer also further said that Pakistan needs to bolster both the bowling and batting departments if they wish to have a chance of winning the T20I World Cup 2022 starting next month in Australia. 

"In the kind of pitches on which we are playing now, you need two genuine fast bowlers and one all-rounder. The new guy Jamal that we have picked, why don't you play him? Play him as an all-rounder, make him bowl and then ask him to bat."

"You will get to know what type of cricketer he is. If Pakistan is dreaming to win the World Cup then they need to work a lot on their bowling and batting and minimise the mistakes that they have been committing in the last few matches."

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