File photo of Shaheen Afridi© Twitter
Pakistan cricketers took part in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) way back in 2008 but they were banned from the competition due to the political tension between their country and India. In the first season, names like Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal took part in the competition and fans have always wondered which modern stars would have found lucrative contracts in a “perfect world”. Former cricketers Tom Moody and Sanjay Manjrekar were asked about their choices and they gave some interesting answers.
“Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam, Rizwan and Shadab Khan. They have got a number of terrific players, particularly in this format of the game. Shaheen would be your No.1 pick, he would be box office,” Former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Moody was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo.
Shaheen has been backed by many experts in the past to become a major attraction if he ever appears in the IPL auction. He is a star in the Pakistan Super League along with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan who have also served as captains of franchises in the T20 league.
Manjrekar went with one of the top bowlers in Pakistan cricket team right now.
“One of the best death bowlers, Haris Rauf,” Manjrekar said. “I think about their bowlers more than their batters. But Fakhar Zaman would be an interesting choice in certain teams.”
“Rizwan is somebody who plays the anchor’s role. Sometimes, I tend to get worried when Babar and Rizwan bat together,” he added.
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