Shaheen celebrates 23rd birthday with Shahid Afridi

Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrated his 23rd birthday today (April 6) amidst a small gathering of family members.

The young cricket prodigy commemorated his special day in the company of his father-in-law, Shahid Afridi, who is also a former national team captain.

The event was marked with the traditional birthday cake-cutting ceremony, and the two cricketing icons snapped some adorable pictures together, which were later shared on social media by senior Afridi.

The candid pictures have since gone viral, with fans and followers pouring in their good wishes for the young star.

Shaheen is considered one of the most promising players in the Pakistan cricket team, with a reputation for his impressive fast-bowling skills.

Shahid Afridi captioned his post, "Happy birthday, Shaheen! Stay happy."

The birthday boy is all set to return to international cricket after four months when he was named in the Pakistan squads for the series against New Zealand, which will be played in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi from April 14 to May 7.

Shaheen had missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand post the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 as he was completing his rehabilitation following a knee injury he had sustained during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in July.

He had subsequently missed the second Test against Sri Lanka, ODI series against the Netherlands, ACC Asia Cup in the UAE and the seven-match T20I series in Pakistan.

The 23-year-old, who has taken 99 Test, 62 ODI and 58 T20I wickets, staged a remarkable comeback in the Pakistan Super League 8 when he inspired Lahore Qalandars to become the first side to successfully defend the title.

Not only that, Shaheen’s own performance was outstanding both with the bat and the ball — he scored 133 runs at a strike rate of 168.35 and grabbed 19 wickets at an economy rate of 9.13.