Shaheen Afridi can become all-rounder like Hardik Pandya: Amir

Former Pakistan pacer, Mohammad Amir, has expressed his belief in the potential of star pacer, Shaheen Afridi, to become an all-rounder for Pakistan in the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup, which is set to be held in India later this year. 

In the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), Afridi has displayed impressive batting skills. He scored a half-century and promoted himself in the batting order on a few occasions, with successful outcomes.

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Amir believes that if Afridi continues to work on his batting, he can become an all-rounder like India's Hardik Pandya in limited-overs cricket. 

"If he keeps working on this and believes that he can improve his batting, then definitely. Practice makes you perfect. I saw that he can hit long sixes and scored a fifty as well," he said.

Amir stated that with the fast pace of modern cricket, decisions must be made quickly, and versatile batsmen are becoming more valuable. He suggests that Pakistan should consider utilizing Afridi's batting abilities in the upcoming World Cup.

"These days cricket has become so fast these days, you have to take your decisions within seconds," he said. 

"Textbook cricket has become redundant now. And these days, batters have become so versatile with their gameplan so you can use different batters in different situations. So yes, Pakistan should consider this," Amir concluded.

The 22-year-old's current ODI record consists of 102 runs in 16 innings at an average of 17 with a strike rate of 70.