Shaheen Afridi opens up on on-field spat with Matthew Breetzke
What's the story
Pakistani fast bowler, Shaheen Afridi, has spoken up about his recent on-field spat with South African batter Matthew Breetzke.
The two players clashed during an ODI tri-nation series match between Pakistan and South Africa in Karachi.
In the 28th over of the first innings, Afridi deliberately blocked Breetzke's way as he ran for a single, resulting in a fiery exchange.
Here's more.
Strategy explained
Afridi's strategy and post-match reconciliation
Afridi admitted that his antics were part of a ploy to rattle Breetzke and get him out.
He stressed that the spat was only on the field, and both players made up after the match.
"For the first time, Matthew didn't say anything. I kept teasing him to get a wicket. Whatever happened on the field stayed there. Matthew and I met, shook hands, and became good friends," Afridi said during an interview as quoted from Geo News.
Disciplinary action
Umpire intervention and ICC's disciplinary action
The spat between Afridi and Breetzke flared up twice in a single over, prompting the on-field umpire to intervene.
Subsequently, Afridi was fined 25% of his match fee for breaching Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.
This article deals with "inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match."
Performance issues
Afridi acknowledges Pakistan's struggles in death overs
Apart from his tussle with Breetzke, Afridi also admitted Pakistan's recent failures in the last overs of an innings, and stated, "We admit that we haven't been performing well in the final overs."
In the tri-nation series opener against New Zealand, he and Naseem Shah were assigned the death overs but leaked 71 runs in four overs.
A similar case played out against South Africa when Naseem, Mohammad Hasnain, and Khushdil Shah leaked 46 runs in the last four overs.
Form concerns
Latif questions Afridi's form ahead of Champions Trophy
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has raised concerns over Afridi and Naseem Shah's form ahead of the Champions Trophy.
"When was the last time Afridi delivered a match-winning performance? Naseem has also not contributed significantly to Pakistan's success," Latif said in an interview with a channel.
In Pakistan's last game against New Zealand, Afridi returned with 3/88.
Since 2024, he has taken 19 wickets in eight innings while Naseem is yet to claim a wicket this year after two games.
Stats
A look at the pacer's ODI stats
The pacer has bagged 124 scalps across 61 ODIs, with an average of 23.45.
In 60 innings he has managed an economy rate of 5.58, including seven four-wicket hauls and three five-wicket hauls.
He also boasts the best inning figures of 6/35. Notably, Afridi has picked up 56 scalps in neutral venues.
Meanwhile, in the ongoing series, he has managed figures worth 5/154 in two matches, according to ESPNcricinfo.