Shaheen Shah Afridi keen to upend David Warner’s farewell Test Series

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi is looking to spoil Australia batter David Warner’s farewell Test series, set to begin on December 14th in Perth.

Warner, included in the Australia squad for the Test series is likely to play his final series for the Baggy Green as he had announced to retire from the format in his home ground of Sydney, which will stage the 3rd and final match of the series.

The left-handed opener would want to finish his career on a high-note as he averages 83.53 against Pakistan.

While Shaheen Shah Afridi was full of praise for the legendary batter, he hopes not to see a fairytale ending for the veteran.

Talking to journalists in Canberra on Sunday, Afridi began by acknowledging the Australia opener’s “great career,” saying he had consistently delivered stellar performances across all three formats.

“We would wish him good luck but not hoping for a good end for David Warner in his last Test series against us,” he said with a hint of competitive spirit.

Warner made a triple century against Pakistan at Adelaide in 2019, though his recent performance in Test matches has remained mixed.

Pakistan are at the summit of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings after blanking Sri Lanka in a two-Test series earlier this year. They will look to continue the same trend under new captain Shan Masood.

“This is an important series for Pakistan as we are leading the World Test Championship’s point table at the moment,” the left-arm fast bowler said.

Having faced the majority of the recently announced Australian squad, Afridi expressed the team’s preparedness for the challenge that lies ahead.

“We have played against the recently announced Australia’s 14-member squad, and we are all up for this challenge,” he said.

Afridi also pins his hopes on the four-day practice match in Canberra to get them well-prepared for the opening Test at the Optus Stadium.

“We don’t have much experience of Canberra, but I am sure this four-day match against PM XI [from Dec 6 to 9] will help us prepare well for the series against the home team starting from Perth,” he added.

Pakistan have a dismal record in Australia, having not won a Test Down Under since 1995. The Men in Green Pakistan will play the first test against Australia at Perth from Dec. 14-19.

Pakistan squad for Australia Tests

Shan Masood (C), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.