New South Wales to approach Afridi

MELBOURNE: Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi who guided Pakistan to glory in the Twenty20 World Cup in England may soon receive an offer to play in Sheffield Shield for the Australian domestic side New South Wales.

The 29-year-old cricketer helped Pakistan win their first major title in 17 years by beating their sub-continental rival Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final at Lord's on Sunday.

"He is clearly one of the world's best Twenty20 players, but also he would be a valuable addition to our dressing room, our young players would learn a lot from him.

"We would certainly consider if he could be used for other formats," a NSW Cricket official was quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Afridi put up an excellent all-round performance during the tournament, scoring 176 runs in seven matches which included two half-centuries and also scalped 11 wickets with an economy rate of 5.32.

If the deal materialises, Afridi would become one of the high-profile players to join an Australian side, after NSW's selection of Kiwi Brendon McCullum for last season's Big Bash final against Victoria, the report said.