LONDON: The International Cricket Council on Tuesday named Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi in ICC’s “Then and Now XI”, ahead of the U19 Cricket World Cup.
According to a statement issued by the cricket governing body, the team was compiled to showcase the upward trajectory of players since their arrival on the international stage.
“A team of players, one from each country, who played and excelled in ICC Under-19 World Cups overs the years, and has since continued to scale the heights in international cricket too,” the ICC said in the press release.
“Babar Azam played in two Under 19 World Cups – 2010 and 2012 – and finished as the third and second highest run-scorer respectively in the two tournaments, scoring a hundred apiece in the two events,” the ICC stated while lauding the Pakistan captain.
It further stated, “Babar made his ODI debut three years after the second tournament, where he led the youth side and has since been one of Pakistan’s most prolific batters in all three formats. Babar has compiled more than 9,000 international runs and is now the Pakistan captain across all formats.”
The game’s governing body also commended left-arm speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi, while naming his as “one of Pakistan’s standout seamers today”.
“Shaheen Afridi enjoyed a terrific tournament in 2018, picking up 12 wickets at an average of 14.58, including a stunning 6/15 against Ireland. Months after the tournament, Shaheen made his senior team debut in all three formats and now has over 150 international wickets. He is now the No.4-ranked Test bowler in the ICC Rankings,” the ICC said.
Complete XI:
- Babar Azam
- Virat Kohli
- Steve Smith
- Kane Williamson (c)
- Dinesh Chandimal (wk)
- Brendan Taylor
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Mehidy Hasan
- Chris Woakes
- Shaheen Afridi
- Kagiso Rabada.
