'Fascinating to watch them': Shahid Afridi names cricketers from past and present who impressed him most

Pakistan veteran Shahid Afridi might not have been the best player but was definitely one of the most entertaining cricketers of his era. His ability to strike big and play like there is no tomorrow made him the heartthrob of cricket fans across the globe. He held the record of the fastest ODI century, which he scored against Sri Lanka in 1996, for almost 18 years before it was broken by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson.

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Afridi, who is still an active cricketer has seen cricket evolve. He played against the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and also against modern players like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Babar Azam.

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In a recent interaction with Khelo Aazadi Se Show on BSports Pakistan YouTube Channel, the all-rounder was asked to name cricketers who fascinated him the most, and the former Pakistan skipper was quick to name his teammates Inzamam ul Haq and Saeed Anwar among others.

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"If we talk about my initial years, Inzamam Ul Haq and Saeed Anwar used to fascinate me. To follow their game, the heard wanted to sit in front of the TV and watch them. I fulfilled my dream when I started playing with them. If you talk about players from other countries, there was Brian Lara and Glenn McGrath," Afridi said.

Among the current set of players, Afridi showered praise on destructive opener Fakhar Zaman and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. He also expressed his likeness towards AB de Villiers, who despite drawing curtains on his international career continues to play franchise cricket, and Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

"When it comes to the current generation, I would say AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam… he is outstanding. Fakhar Zaman when in form. He is one player who if gives a start, Pakistan have won matches one-sided. But for that, his consistency is important," the former Pakistan captain added.

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