Before the blockbuster match between the greatest rivals of all the time, India and Pakistan, comparisons are much more common than anything. Days before the match, Shaheen and Shami could be seen as the main topics of balancing and differentiation.
The recent talks just before the match are raising numerous questions like, will Shaheen (Pakistani pacer) and Shami (Indian pacer) be the conclusive factors in determining the result of the match that is going to be held on October 23, Sunday. Former Indian captain Kapil Dev said there should be no comparisons between the two mostly because the Pakistan left-arm seamer is much ahead in terms of current form.
Current form of Shaheen and Shami
The outcome of India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup Super 12 match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, could depend solely on how Mohammad Shami and Shaheen Shah Afridi perform with the ball in the opening and death overs.Â
Shami, without any second thoughts, has extensive experience and is extremely skilled, but he was not India’s first choice. After Jasprit Bumrah couldn’t play in the World Cup due to a back injury, Shami made it to the main squad. Shaheen Afridi, on the other hand, is one of the world’s best white-ball bowlers in the present time in the world of Cricket. But, both of them will be under pressure when they take the field, and not just because of the hype of the match but also because it is their first international match in a long time.
Will injuries and lack of cricket have their after effect on the field?
Shami last appeared for India during their tour of England. Moving to Shami’s last played T20I was last year’s T20 World Cup 2021. The right-arm seamer has been out of the T20I picture for a long time as Shami wasn’t even able to attend the Asia Cup 2022. Bumrah is recovering from an injury these days and consequently, Shami got his chance to showcase what he still has in his bags. Shami also had recently recovered from COVID. Apart from the T20Is, Shami has featured in the latest edition of IPL 2022, as a part of the Gujarat Titans and has shown how deadly Shami’s bowling can be. But Mohammed Shami hasn’t played competitive cricket for a number of months.
One cannot stop talking about Shaheen if we consider his stats. Every Indian must be knowing about the lethal impact Shaheen Shah Afridi had made in the last T20I World Cup match between India and Pakistan. Shaheen in that match, dismissed the three top batters of the Indian team, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
Shaheen is also not seen in cricket, since he had suffered a knee injury during the Sri Lanka test, in July. After performing well in the warm-up matches against England and Afghanistan, some cricket experts believe that Shaheen is not performing up to his bowling standards.
Where do the experts stand in this rivalry?
The former Indian Captain, Kapil Dev has made his statements clear about Shami and Shaheen that one shouldn’t judge the things only by one over. Former captain further added, that Shaheen over the span of two years has played a lot of cricket and had made a vast impact over the results of the matches but if talking about Shami, the right – arm pacer had not got that many chances to play for the country in the fields. So, it was very clear from Kapil Dev’s statement that Shaheen is ahead of Shami in terms of the current forms they hold.
This rivalry between Shami and Shaheen also caught the inquisitiveness of the former Pakistan Captain, Shahid Afridi. Shahid praised both the bowlers and said that it is yet to see who’s going to perform and who’s bowling spells would cast a magic spell on the audiences and commentators.
