"Give some rewards to the bowlers as well" - Mohammad Kaif says Shaheen Shah Afridi should have been the Player of the Match instead of Fakhar Zaman

Mohammad Kaif believes Shaheen Shah Afridi should have been awarded the Player of the Match for Pakistan's 2023 World Cup league-phase win against Bangladesh.

Afridi registered figures of 3/23 in nine overs as the Men in Green bundled out the Bangla Tigers for 204 in Kolkata on Tuesday, October 31. Fakhar Zaman then scored a 74-ball 81 as Pakistan chased down the target with seven wickets and 17.3 overs to spare.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Kaif was asked about his thoughts on Fakhar being chosen as the Player of the Match ahead of Afridi, to which he responded:

"A lot of runs are being scored in this World Cup, records are being created, give some rewards to the bowlers as well. As Irfan Pathan said, the commentators decide it. They probably forgot the first innings."

The former India batter reckons the adjudicators were influenced by the recency factor. He explained:

"Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up a wicket apiece in the first and third overs. Then he got Mahmudullah out, who was set. Dismissing Mahmudullah meant you put a leash on the game. They probably forgot that Afridi had bowled earlier and Fakhar Zaman hit sixes later."

Kaif pointed out that Afridi's spell was the match-defining effort. He elaborated:

"We all get influenced because he hit seven sixes. But actually, Shaheen Shah Afridi's spell won them the match. He was struggling with the new ball but he picked up wickets in the powerplay. He set the tone of the game and Mahmudullah's wicket. So it was given wrongly."

Afridi dismissed Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto in his first two overs. He later bowled Mahmudullah with a beauty to complete his three-wicket haul.

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"He dismissed a completely set batter by beating him all ends up" - Irfan Pathan on Shaheen Shah Afridi's dismissal of Mahmudullah

Shaheen Shah Afridi castled Mahmudullah with a delivery that moved away after pitching. [P/C: AP]

Irfan Pathan was particularly appreciative of Shaheen Shah Afridi's dismissal of Mahmudullah. He explained:

"Kaif bhai is understanding the bowlers' pain for the first time. He went around the wicket, the ball was reversing slightly and the batter thought the ball would come in, there he dismissed a completely set batter by beating him all ends up. He is a quality bowler."

The former India all-rounder concurred with Kaif that the left-arm seamer should have been chosen as the Player of the Match. However, he added that winning the game for the team would have been more important for him.