Wasim Akram presses Shaheen Afridi to take cue from Oman bowler about how to rattle Shubman Gill: ‘This is what I want’

Speaking of Gill, the Indian vice-captain was undone by Shah Faisal's beautiful delivery in the Group A match between India and Oman at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Looking at the delivery, Akram asked Shaheen to take some notes on how to set Gill up and rattle the opening batter. Speaking of the delivery, Faisal bowled it full, and it swung in late, drawing Gill into the drive.

There was a huge gap between the bat and pad, allowing the ball to sneak through and eventually flatten the off-stump. The Oman pacer then went on a celebratory run, as he was excited to dismiss Gill for 5 runs off 8 balls.

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“That’s what I want Shaheen Afridi to do early on, because the whole world now knows the plan against him. They say, ‘Okay, he’ll be bowling yorkers first up.’ So Afridi needs to have a Plan B. This is the length he should be bowling," Akram said on Sony Sports Network.

"I’m fine with one-off yorkers, but not two or three consecutive ones, because if he misses even one, it’s going for a boundary with only two fielders outside the circle. He ends up putting pressure on himself. I know he thinks he’s being attacking and going for wickets, but mixing it up with length balls is better. One yorker, yes — but not straightaway, and not every ball,” he added.

Shaheen underwhelming with the ball

In the Asia Cup 2025 campaign so far, Shaheen has performed better with the bat as compared to the ball. He has taken three wickets so far, with two coming in the game against the United Arab Emirates.

He failed to take a single wicket against India as the Suryakumar Yadav-led side cruised home with seven wickets in hand. With the bat, he played unbeaten knocks of 33 and 29 against India and the UAE. For his cameo against the UAE in the must-win match, Shaheen was also awarded as the Player of the Match.

Pakistan finished in second place in the Asia Cup Group A standings. The side will next take on India in the Super 4s on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium.

Gill has failed to set the stage on fire in the eight-team tournament so far, and Shaheen would aim to prey on his weakness and cut short the innings of the Indian vice-captain.

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