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| Afridi was part of the 2011 side that reached the final. © Getty |
Hampshire have signed Shahid Afridi for the Natwest Twenty20 Blast, the club confirmed on Thursday (May 18). Afridi was part of the 2011 squad that reached the final, and then returned in 2016 but the side failed to taste success and finished eighth in the South Group.
Giles White, Hampshire's director of cricket, was understandably pleased to have the former Pakistan captain in their ranks. "He's been an important part of our success in the short form of the game in previous seasons and we feel his talents fit well with the current squad," he said.
Afridi last appeared in a T20 game for the Peshawar Zalmi in the second edition of the Pakistan Super League but missed the final due to a finger injury. Zalmi went on to win the title but Afridi soon after snapped ties with the franchise and stated that he would be available to play for another team in the third edition.
Afridi scored 177 runs in the ten games he played before the injury, at a strike rate of 173.52, in addition to picking two wickets at an very impressive economy of 6.75.
"He's a great fit for us in T20, a big-hitting all-rounder adds to what we've got," White told BBC Radio Solent. "He's come off the back of a very good Pakistani Super League, certainly with the bat, which bodes well. Obviously with the ball he's shown his quality over the years and hopefully he remains the high-quality all-rounder that we expect.
"He forms a very good partnership with [Liam] Dawson and being an all-rounder gives us the option of playing an extra bowler - maybe a [Mason] Crane as a trio of spinners."
Source : Cricbuzz
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