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Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club announced on Thursday that its white-ball team, Notts Outlaws, has signed Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi for the upcoming 2023 T20 Blast, which will start from May 20.
"Notts Outlaws have secured the services of Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi for the duration of the 2023 T20 Blast," read a statement from the club. The left-arm quick and explosive later-order batter becomes the Outlaws' second T20 overseas signing following that of top-order batter Colin Munro. Afridi (22), who burst onto the domestic scene with figures of 8-39 on Quaid-e-Azam Trophy debut, has 47 International T20 caps to his name, in addition to 25 Test and 32 One Day International appearances for his country. He also has 99 Test wickets and 62 ODI scalps to his name. His 58 T20I wickets have come at an average of 22.37, whilst his 94 wickets for Lahore Qalandars, for whom he rose to prominence in 2018, have come at 20.75. He has twice captained the franchise to titles in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), most recently earlier this month, where he struck a 15-ball 44* as his side wrapped up victory by one run in the showpiece final. He also has previous T20 experience in England through a stint with Hampshire Hawks, and took 3-30 for the Men in Green as Pakistan defeated the Three Lions at Trent Bridge in the summer of 2021. "Notts play an aggressive brand of cricket, which suits me well," Afridi said. "They have had great success in recent years and the likes of Alex Hales, Colin Munro and Joe Clarke are players I have faced up against in recent years and been impressed by. The goal is obviously to influence games to make the team as successful as possible," he added. "Having played at Trent Bridge, I know it is a fast-scoring ground and as a bowler, you need to get your line and lengths right, but you also get the rewards when you do that. It is definitely an exciting move for me, and one I am looking forward to," said the pacer. Afridi enjoyed a profitable ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 over the winter, claiming 11 wickets at an average of 14.09. His wicket of Alex Hales in the final gave Pakistan the perfect start against England in the T20 World Cup final, before he was forced off the field with an injury. His 18 wickets in T20 World Cup matches put him fifth on the all-time list for Pakistan, despite having only played 13 matches. "In Shaheen, we have got a world-class player, which is really exciting, and a player with a point of difference with the ball, which is crucial when we are looking to recruit," Peter Moores, the Notts Outlaws coach, said. "We are building from a strong platform, with a lot of very talented lads hungry to play T20, and Shaheen adds star quality and a different angle to that group. He has proven himself on big stages; he is fiercely passionate in the way he plays his cricket, and he will be hugely engaging for everyone to watch for that reason," he added. "We want to bounce back from last year's campaign, and this signing invigorates the club; he makes impacts in big games, and is a box office player. Alongside Munro, who is one of the top run scorers in the history of the format, we have got two very unique talents, both of whom will play a big role for us as we look to bring back silverware," Moores signed off saying. (ANI)
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