Not Virat Kohli! Shaheen Afridi terms this player as toughest batsman he has faced in international cricket

Shaheen Afridi named a former South Africa batter as the toughest batsman he has faced.

Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi has named the toughest batsman he has faced in international cricket. Notably, the left-arm has named a former South African batsman as his toughest competitor on the field.

Afridi is a key pacer for Pakistan across all three formats. So far, he has played 31 tests, 66 ODIs, and 84 T20Is for Pakistan. He is currently busy in the UAE T20I Tri-Series.

The Tri-series involving Pakistan, Afghanistan, and UAE is underway at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah. Afghansitan and Pakistan have reached the final of the tournament, which will take place on September 7.

Shaheen Afridi names Hashim Amla as the toughest batsman he has faced

Afridi recently appeared on ‘Bricks to Riches’ Podcast. During the show, he was asked to pick the toughest batsman he has ever faced. Afridi snubbed Indian batters Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and then termed former South Africa opener Hashim Amla as the toughest batsman he has faced in international cricket.

“I’ve played test matches and ODIs against him, and he’s a tough competitor. I have also played a match against him in the Vitality Blast, a Twenty20 cricket tournament in England. I felt that he’s a very good batsman, and he is very good at what he does,” he said.

When the podcast host asked him if Hashim was tougher to bowl than India’s Virat Kohli, Afridi said that the latter is a different player and Amla is the absolute toughest.

“Virat Kohli is a different player, but Hashim bhai [brother], he’s the toughest. Absolute toughest,” he said.

Notably, Amla played 124 tests, 181 ODIs, and 44 T20Is for South Africa, scoring over 18,000 runs across all formats. He is the third highest run-scorer for South Africa in international cricket. He retired from international cricket in 2019.

Meanwhile, Afridi has been named in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2025. While senior members like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were snubbed from the squad, Afridi managed to get a spot in the squad. Salman Ali Agha will lead the team in the tournament. Pakistan are part of Group A in the tournament alongside India, Oman, and UAE.

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