The towering left-arm fast has signed to play for the English county membership, based mostly on the London floor — the sport’s religious house.
“It’s each cricketer’s dream to come back right here and play on the house of cricket,” Afridi instructed reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday forward of Middlesex’s match towards Leicestershire.
Afridi has already starred on the floor, taking 6-35 towards Bangladesh throughout a 50-over 2019 World Cup match.
“Now I need to take 10 (wickets in an innings),” he mentioned with a smile.
“Whenever you play in your nation you at all times really feel proud and that got here towards Bangladesh so it was a superb recreation for me as properly.
“As a teenager, you’re taking part in in a World Cup recreation and you’re taking six wickets so sure, it’s an enormous excessive for me and the most effective recollections for me.”
Rising star
Afridi, one of many rising stars of world cricket, with 95 wickets in 24 Checks at a mean of 25, is about to play his maiden first-class match at Lord’s, having made his Middlesex debut away to Glamorgan final week.
Middlesex, who play within the second division of the County Championship, gained that match by an innings and 82 runs, with 22-year-old Afridi taking 4 wickets.
“The primary recreation, in every single place you go, is essential,” mentioned the paceman, who twice dismissed Australian Check star Marnus Labuschagne within the match — after taking his wicket thrice within the current Check sequence between Australia and Pakistan.
Afridi’s captain at Middlesex is one other Australia batsman in Peter Handscomb.
“It’s good being on this facet, undoubtedly,” mentioned Handscomb, 31, who final performed Check cricket in 2019.
“Not so good within the nets, however out within the center it’s good having him in your workforce.
“That first recreation, the power he had operating in, the tempo on the ball.
“He at all times needed one other over, in order that power is nice to see from somebody simply coming in. The boys liked him, liked every little thing that he introduced.
“I hope that’s a superb signal to come back for the subsequent few video games.”
Afridi is getting acclimatised to English circumstances in additional methods than one.
“Final week I felt chilly, however it’s actually good for me right here. I frolicked with my cousin and buddies and my team-mates as properly within the first recreation and we actually loved that point.”
Afridi’s time in England will take him across the nation however there may be one location that counts above another, so far as he’s involved.
“Lord’s is the one floor I like. The whole lot comes second after Lord’s.”