Wasim Akram thinks Pakistan will miss the injured Shaheen Afridi badly in the upcoming Asia Cup since the left-arm pacer is “one the world’s top three bowlers” currently. “Pakistan will miss Shaheen. Why? Because he takes wickets with the new ball. He attacks the stumps, doesn’t matter the opposition, doesn’t matter the player. He has been very consistent in all formats,” the former Pakistan captain said on Tuesday.

“There was criticism when he did not take a break, saying the team management did not have proper load management in place. But he is only 21! He has got a knee injury and what I have heard is it takes time to heal.

“When you return, there’s always that fear at the back of your mind that you might hurt the same area again. If it’s the leg on which you land at the crease, then you can’t bowl till you are 100 per cent fit. He is one of the world’s top three bowlers, so a big setback for Pakistan,” said Akram.

Shaheen had taken three for 31 to rattle India’s top-order in the T20 World Cup match last year, which Pakistan won by 10 wickets. On the Indian front, Akram is looking forward to witnessing Suryakumar Yadav in action. “I saw him first when I was with KKR. Since he made it into the Indian squad, he has been a treat to watch. He is actually a 360 degree player,” he said.

He also predicted that it would be the most closely-fought Asia Cup. “It will be the best Asia Cup ever in my opinion. Earlier, it used to be India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but now all teams are dangerous, including Afghanistan and Bangladesh,” said Akram.