Karachi [Pakistan], February 14: Shaheen Afridi has broken his silence regarding the heated verbal exchange with South Africa’s Matthew Breetzke during Pakistan’s match against South Africa in the ongoing ODI tri-nation series on Wednesday.
The incident took place in the 28th over of the first innings when Shaheen Afridi positioned himself in Breetzke’s path, causing an unwanted physical encounter. This led to a verbal spat between the two players.
Shaheen, known for his fiery pace, admitted that the incident was part of his strategy to unsettle Breetzke and claim his wicket. He explained, “For the first time, Matthew didn’t say anything. I kept teasing him to get a wicket. Whatever happened on the field stayed there. Matthew and I met, shook hands, and became good friends,” he said in an interview with Geo News.
Following the altercation, Shaheen was fined 25% of his match fee for breaching Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to inappropriate physical contact during an international match.
In addition to discussing the on-field incident, Shaheen addressed another concern regarding Pakistan’s struggles in the death overs, which were exposed during the series. In their opening match against New Zealand, Shaheen and Naseem Shah failed to stem the runs in the final four overs, with Glenn Phillips hammering the pacers for 71 runs. Similarly, in the game against South Africa, the trio of Naseem, Mohammad Hasnain, and Khushdil Shah gave away 46 runs in the final four overs, allowing South Africa to post a challenging total of 352/5.
Shaheen acknowledged Pakistan’s difficulties in the death overs, stating, “We admit that we haven’t been performing well in the final overs,” reflecting on the team’s need to improve in this crucial aspect of the game.
With the final approaching in the tri-nation series, Pakistan’s bowling attack will be looking to tighten up in the death overs to avoid such lapses in crucial moments.