‘Kemon achen’

'Kemon achen' is a phrase that is part and parcel of everyday Bangla, translating to 'how are you'. But it can be quite surprising to hear those words from someone who is expected to possess little knowledge of Bangla, that too from an international superstar who has amassed 208 international wickets across formats in a pretty short period of time.

Bangladesh were in a team meeting, leaving a slew of reporters waiting in the lobby. Suddenly, a tall, lanky fellow appeared and it turned out to be none other than Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is recuperating from a knee injury that has ruled him out of the Asia Cup. Pakistan chose to undertake Shaheen's recuperation by allowing him to stay with the team.

When this reporter greeted him in the lobby and introduced himself as a Bangladeshi, Shaheen went straight onto the front foot, asking: "Kemon achen?"

Reporters nearby were shocked to hear him speak so well. Asked how he knew what to say, a wry smile spread across his face. But he was unwilling to divulge too much, saying: "I am not part of the Asia Cup squad, yeah?"

Shaheen's knee was still strapped and his presence was sorely missed in a tight game between arch-rivals Pakistan and India yesterday.

Shaheen caught the lift soon to head back to his room, but came down again later to head out of the hotel. Apparently, the bright pace prospect has a home in Dubai. "Just heading home but will be back soon," he said.

Asked about Naseem Shah, who bagged two for 27 during an impressive debut yesterday, Shaheen said: "He was very good.".

Despite the injury, the speedster looked in good spirts while heading back and the Pakistan team will be hoping that like Shaheen, the rest of the team can also keep spirits high despite the defeat against India.