Once known for its spin-dependent bowling attack, Bangladesh is now producing a formidable generation of pacers. Their recent successes include defeating Pakistan in a Test match on their own turf. Among those impressed by this transformation is none other than Shaheen Shah Afridi, one of the world’s premier fast bowlers.

Shaheen, donning the Fortune Barishal jersey for his maiden Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) campaign, has already made waves both on and off the field. Despite being a global star, the 24-year-old pacer humbly acknowledges Bangladesh’s rising cricket talent, especially its pace bowlers.

In a packed press conference, Shaheen praised Bangladesh’s pacers, singling out Taskin Ahmed as the leader of the attack and expressing admiration for Nahid Rana, a promising young bowler.

"Bangladesh now has an excellent bowling unit. Taskin is now the leading bowler. The young bowler Rana is bowling very well, tall guy, and have a pace. Many more will come in the future, especially in red-ball cricket. The more they play red-ball cricket, the better they’ll become," Shaheen remarked.

Shaheen Shah Afridi is regarded as one of the marquee players in this year’s BPL, but the modest cricketer doesn’t consider himself the biggest star.

"I'm not a star. There are a lot of Bangladeshi players. Tamim [Iqbal] playing, all the national team players playing here. For me and for you guys should be the own people will be the stars. The vibe is that you are the stars. But I will be just a player for the team and I will try to put my performance in the team and win for the game for the team,” added Shaheen.

Shaheen is optimistic about adapting to the challenges of franchise cricket, where players must quickly adjust to new environments. Thanks to his prior experience playing against Bangladeshi players, he feels at ease with his new teammates.

"We played each other against. I know that the local players always are good players, and they know the wickets as well. I hope I learn a lot when I'm in future visit Bangladesh and I play for Pakistan. When I come, and I hope I know the wickets and I'll play well,” Shaheen further said.