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Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi revealed that he reached out to motivate Shadab Khan after the experienced all-rounder recorded his worst bowling figures in T20I format.
During the second T20I between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston, Shadab went wicketless and conceded 55 runs in his four-over spell at an economy of 13.50. The 25-year-old recorded his worst bowling figure as Pakistan bundled out on 160 while chasing 184 on Saturday. Afridi had a conversation with Shadab about his performance and tried to motivate him and pinpoint the areas where he was struggling with. "I need Shadab to deliver with the ball. Whenever he has performed with the ball, Pakistan have won. I have watched all of his matches in the past. We had a detailed chat yesterday, I asked him who is guiding him or if there is something he is not doing, how are you making such mistakes is there no one to tell you?" Afridi told a local Pakistan news channel as quoted from Geo News. "I called yesterday because I know he is going through a difficult time so I always try to help and motivate players who are having a hard time. Similarly, I talked with Shadab about what he is doing wrong and I hope that if he does [what he discussed] in training sessions, you will see the difference," Afridi added. The former Pakistan skipper was also asked whether Shadab was suffering from a mental block. Afridi pinpointed the unavailability of a leg-spinner in the coaching team who could guide Shadab as he continues to face "tremendous pressure". "Is there any leg-spin coach with the team? Saeed Ajmal was there but he was an off-spinner. Ajmal should be asked if he guided Shadab and why is he not doing what he was told," Afridi said. "I know there must be tremendous pressure on Shadab but big players know how to pull themselves out of such situations. I shared with him one to two problems I found with his bowling and I'm hoping that he will work on those things," the former skipper concluded. Pakistan will play the third T20I against England on Tuesday at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The Men in Green are trailing 1-0 in the series, as the first game got washed away due to rain. (ANI)
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