Hasnain, Naseem, Rauf can trouble India in Shaheen Afridi's absence, reckons Saqlain Mushtaq

Former off-spinner and Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq reckons that the Pakistan fast bowlers Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah can give a tough run to India in the upcoming clash between the two teams in the Asia Cup 2022 on August 28, Sunday. The two teams face off for the first time since October 2021, when they last met in the T20 World Cup 2021.

Pakistan’s star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was the Player of the Match when the two sides last met,  is ruled out of the Asia Cup 2022 due to an injury. However, Mushtaq believes that the pace trio of Hasnain, Naseem, and Rauf can change the game on their own on a given day.

“Since the last few years, these three have been executing the plans and demands of the Pakistan team really well,” Mushtaq said at a press conference. “The captain, I as the head coach, and the entire support staff have confidence in their abilities. Shaheen used to lead the attack, but these three, on a given day or situation, can change the game and give a tough run to India.”

Indian cricketers interact with injured Shaheen Afridi ahead of Asia Cup

Afridi, who was initially named in the Asia Cup squad, had to withdraw from the tournament due to a right knee ligament injury during the Men in Green’s away Test series against Sri Lanka last month. Hasnain, who was in England for The Hundred, was named as the replacement. The 22-year-old has played 18 T20Is and picked up 17 wickets with an economy rate of 7.90.

Meanwhile, Afridi was seen interacting with a number of Indian players such as Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Yuzvendra Chahal, in a video uploaded by Pakistan Cricket on Twitter on Thursday. India and Pakistan are in Group A along with the qualifying team, Hong Kong. The competition is set to begin on Saturday with the curtain raiser between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.