Michael Hussey banking big on Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Michael Hussey, who is the newly appointed head coach of Welsh Fire, has set his hopes on the pace duo of Pakistan - Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Former Australian cricketer has made a comeback to the Cardiff-based side after a span of two years. However, his first and foremost job was overseeing the player's draft.

Hussey picked up players intelligently to fill in the eight spaces needed to do a proper reconstruction of the franchise. It was he who seized Shaheen Shah Afridi for £100,000 and Haris Rauf for £60,000.

Due to the unavailability of overseas players, Hussey took a calculated risk by picking up Rauf and Afridi. While talking to ESPNcricinfo, Welsh Fire's coach termed the selection as a 'gamble' but hoped that it would pan out in their favor.

"They are big stars, and they're match-winners as well. Without doubt it's really exciting. They have performed on the biggest stage in the past, so hopefully, they can have a big impact for us.

"Hopefully, we can go really well with the new ball and really own the death as well," he added.

The ODI series between Pakistan and Afghanistan is scheduled in August. Hussey is hoping that the duo will be available for them for as many matches as possible.

"At this stage, we've been told that they're available up to about the 20th of August. That's a fair chunk of games, seven, and there's a chance that the series they've got against Afghanistan may be called off as well," he said.

"So it's a bit of a gamble, but if that is the case, it'd be a huge win for us to have them for the whole season. That would be amazing for us," he concluded.